


Seeking The Sun

by Relh99



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Blue Lions Route, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Golden Deer Route, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Possible OOC moments, Ships to be added - Freeform, Slow Burn, Time Travel Fix-It, Twin Byleths, War flashbacks, combination of the blue lions route and the golden deer route, edelgard is the bad guy, no beta we die like men, spoilers for all routes, twin avatars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:41:54
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 68,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27955592
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Relh99/pseuds/Relh99
Summary: Twins each blessed with the power of the goddess forced to face each other on opposite war fronts. When the guilt and regret of making the wrong choice comes crashing down on one of them though, the two must relearn how to work together in order to go back and fix the mistakes from their past in order to save the ones they hold dear.
Relationships: Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd/Claude von Riegan, Felix Hugo Fraldarius/Sylvain Jose Gautier, Ferdinand von Aegir/Hubert von Vestra, Raphael Kirsten & Ignatz Victor
Comments: 48
Kudos: 48





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> A warning to any Edelgard fans out there who agree with her in game choices: She is the bad guy here. You're allowed to disagree with me, as I know many will, but I'm going to ask that you not disagree with me in the comments of this fic. I've tagged her as the bad guy, as well as added this warning here. If that is something you do not like or care to read, you are not required to read this fic. I am more than willing to have a healthy discussion going over the complexity of her choices in game on other social media platforms, however this is not one of them. 
> 
> I call this a "fix-it" fic, but I am writing it purely for self satisfaction. This is not supposed to be the perfect ending to Fire Emblem: Three Houses. This was written after I cried in the middle of my Golden Deer play through, and it is designed to just make me feel better regarding certain in game deaths.
> 
> Thank you for taking the time to read through this, and I hope you guys enjoy. It's gonna be a long one.

Bilet had stopped counting how many battles he fought in months ago; stopped counting how many times he had used Divine Pulse in an attempt to save someone. The one thing he kept count of was how many times Divine Pulse failed to give him the desired outcome.The answer was only three. One of them he still wore on a chain around his neck, tucked away safely under his armor.

The second he still had to face on the battlefield.

Seteth’s scream echoed from across the war ground. Bilet’s attention quickly snapped over to see if he could spot what Seteth was so upset about. That wasn’t a sound Bilet had heard before, and for a moment he panicked and wondered if someone had killed him and the sound he heard was Seteth’s last. 

Just a few yards away, Bilet spotted Seteth’s wyvern swatting away an imperial soldier with its tail while Seteth knelt down on the ground, cradling a still figure in his arms. The bright green curls and the white dress gave away who the fallen was immediately. Without a moment of hesitation, Bilet activated the Divine Pulse and froze time around him. If he wanted to save Flayn, he needed to pay close attention to what was going on as he reversed time.

“BILET!”

A chill ran down Bilet’s spine. There was only one person who didn’t freeze when he used Divine Pulse. He had a choice to make: either work fast to avoid seeing the person yelling his name and risk losing Flayn again and needing to go back again, or face the person running towards him and hope she didn’t attack him.

“BILET!”

Moving fast, Bilet jumped back to just a few minutes before he heard Seteth scream. He would just need to sprint over to his location and kill whoever was after Flayn, no strategy prepared. Knowing his sister was here made things a little more complicated, but from what he could tell based off on how far away her voice sounded, she would be back closer to Edelgard, guarding her Emperor like the obedient dog she was. 

Bilet pushed himself to run faster as he watched an imperial archer take aim at Flayn. He shot a quick fire spell in the archer’s direction, but he was too far away for it to do any damage. 

“FLAYN, LOOK OUT!” He screamed, trying to get her attention. She spun to face him, and Bilet watched as the archer’s arrow pierced through her neck. Seteth cried out for Flayn as she fell to the ground. Bilet cursed and activated Divine Pulse once again before Seteth could even jump off of his wyvern. 

“BILET!”

He wanted to run. To keep time frozen forever and flee the battlefield. His first failure felt cold underneath his shirt. His second failure was screaming his name, running right towards him. He wouldn’t be able to live with himself if Flayn ended up being his fourth failure. He had to do this right- he needed a plan to get to her before the archer did. Maybe if he screamed for Seteth instead, maybe if he went further back in time and gave himself more time to run towards her-

“Bilet, wait!” his sister begged, her voice closer.

Begrudgingly, Bilet turned to face her. Standing just a few feet in front of him was Byleth. Her pale green hair hung limply past her shoulders, her face shone with sweat, and her hands shook at her sides, one of them gripping the Sword of the Creator tightly. Her eyes were wide and full of fear.

“What do you want, Byleth?” Bilet asked. “Come to watch me fail to save Flayn? Come to kill her if I succeed?”

She flinched at his harsh tone, but said nothing. Bilet scoffed and rolled his eyes. “I don’t have time for this. If you want to fight me, you can do so after I save Flayn.”

“Bilet, wait,” Byleth begged, her voice sounding desperate. “Please, hear me out!”

“You want me to hear you out, help me save Flayn,” he snapped before throwing them back in time once again. Not trusting his sister to actually help him, Bilet wasted no time running towards Flayn again, burning any imperial soldier that attempted to block his path.

“FLAYN! ARCHER, DEAD AHEAD!” Bilet shouted, hoping a more direct message would be enough of a warning for her to move. He ran and watched Seteth charge the archer from atop his wyvern while Flayn attempted to jump out of the way. Before Seteth’s attack could make contact though, someone else stabbed the archer clean through. He dropped his bow and collapsed against the ground. Seteth pulled up and Bilet slowed to a stop, recognizing the weapon that had pierced the archer instantly.

Standing where the archer stood was Byleth, the Sword of the Creator slick with blood. She nervously looked up at Seteth, clearly frightened that he would go in for the kill. Flayn stared at her old professor in shock that she just saved her life. Once Byleth realized Seteth wasn’t making a move towards her, she directed her attention back on Bilet.

“I helped you, now please, hear me out,” she said.

“Bilet, you can’t trust her,” Seteth argued, flying down closer to Bilet.

“Seteth, I just watched Flayn die twice,” Bilet explained, not taking his eyes off of his sister. “I told her I’d hear her out if she helped me save Flayn.”

"You told them about Divine Pulse?" Byleth asked.

"You don't get to say anything about who I chose to trust with that information," Bilet snapped. 

“Whatever she has to say, she can say in front of us,” Seteth argued. 

“Bilet, please,” Byleth pleaded. 

“Let him hear her out, brother,” Flayn spoke up. “Bilet gave her his word, and she did just save my life apparently.”

Seteth looked displeased, but made no attempt to argue with Flayn. “Let me fly Flayn to the back line before you stop time at least,” he requested. Bilet nodded and waited while Flayn climbed atop Seteth’s wyvern. The two of them took off, and Bilet watched until he could no longer see them. He turned back to Byleth and activated Divine Pulse.

Eyes locked, everything else around them froze. Bilet wasn’t one to use Divine Pulse lightly, only when an ally fell in battle, but seeing the fear in his sister’s eyes as she shakily held onto the Sword of the Creator in front of him…

“Thank you,” Byleth said, her voice weak and uncertain. It had been months since they last saw one another, and years since they had a normal conversation. The frightened look in her eyes didn’t go away even with Seteth gone. Bilet had assumed her fear came from facing those she once called friends. It was clear now, watching Byleth drop her weapon despite Bilet being her enemy, that the fear in her eyes existed because of her allies. She dropped to her knees and began sobbing. It was loud, and ugly, and well overdue from what Bilet could tell. The twins had only seen each other cry once, and that was when their father was killed in front of them. Bilet’s first failure. Byleth never saw Bilet cry over his second failure, and Bilet had no way of knowing if Byleth cried in these last several years.

“Byleth?” he asked. Despite fighting on opposite fronts these last few years, Bilet couldn’t help but feel concerned regarding his sister’s behavior. 

“I-I’m sorry,” Byleth choked out in between sobs. “I- I knew something was wr-wrong, but Rhea was keeping so many s-secrets, and-and I didn’t know who to trust! Sothis was g-gone, and I know we argued over what t-t-to do- you warned me. You told me I- I was making the wrong choice, b-but I didn’t realize, I didn’t think-”

“Breathe, By,” Bilet said, slipping back to his old nickname for her. 

“I chose wrong though!” she cried. “I thought sh-she wanted to give Fodlan a brighter future, w-without the church interfering. Rhea had been e-executing people, and sending the students on d-deadly missions-”

“Why now?” Bilet asked, cutting her off. “Why do you now suddenly realize everything Edelgard’s been doing is wrong?”

Byleth wiped away her tears, only for more to fall in their place. “I knew when I woke up that something was wrong. The first red flag should’ve been the moment I realized the other Black Eagle students all sided with the church. Well, all except Hubert. But I thought I could keep her on the right path. I thought I could help Her Majesty provide a brighter future for Fodlan.”

“Provide it how? By conquering everything and killing innocents that get sucked into her stupid war?” Bilet scoffed.

Byleth flinched. “I thought about leaving. About coming to find you. I… let’s just say Hubert could sense my hesitation, and I was kept under constant surveillance. I couldn’t get away, even in the middle of battle. I kept telling myself that it would be fine, that soon it would all be over. That if I just helped her win, then things would start to get better. B-but then she… she killed Dimitri.”

Bilet’s third failure. He tried so many times that day to go back and save the King of Faerghus, but no matter what he did, Edelgard’s axe always swung down and met her target. 

“I couldn’t stop her,” Byleth whispered. “I tried to talk her out of it. I even tried to fight her one of the times you reversed time, but no matter what I did… she always killed him.”

Hearing Byleth admit to fighting Edelgard was news to Bilet. “I didn’t know you fought her. I didn’t even see you there.”

Byleth let out a weak chuckle of sorts. “I guess I should thank you for using Divine Pulse again after I fought her, otherwise Her Majesty would've had my head for defying her. Not that I deserve to be alive after everything I’ve done, but still. Thank you.”

“What are we doing here, By?” Bilet asked. “Is this you trying to convince me to let you join Lady Rhea’s army?”

She shook her head and stood up, her legs shaking slightly. Both of them had become such renowned fighters during the war, but the constant fighting catches up to everyone at some point, and right now it looked like it had caught up to Byleth. 

“I just wanted to speak with you again,” she admitted. “Switching armies or going back in time a few minutes won’t erase all of the mistakes I’ve made. It won’t bring back the people who died because of my stupidity and fear.”

“How far back would you want to go to make up for what you’ve done? Stop yourself from siding with Edelgard?”

Byleth shook her head. “No. I’d want to go back and stop myself from teaching the Black Eagles all together.”

“You can’t blame yourself for that one,” Bilet said. “We discussed and chose together on that.”

Byleth wiped her tears away again. “Just how far back can you go?”

Bilet blinked, unsure. “I don’t know. I’ve never tried to go back any further than necessary to save someone in the heat of battle.”

“Do… do you think you’d be able to go back far enough? To the moment before we decided on what class we wanted to teach?” Byleth asked.

“You want me to use Divine Pulse to go back almost seven years?” Bilet questioned. Byleth nodded desperately. “By, we weren’t even fused with Sothis then. Divine Pulse wasn’t as strong as it is now back when we started at Garreg Mach. Even if I can go back years, I might not be able to go back to a time before we were fused.”

“Can you try?” Byleth begged. “Just see how far back you can go. Even if it’s not all the way back, I’d rather fight Solon again and deny Her Majesty later than live with the guilt of the blood from this war on my hands.” Her gaze dropped to her feet. “I’ve done horrible, unspeakable things under her. I’ve helped her conquer Fodlan, I’ve watched people die… I never meant for it to go this far. I never wanted to be the villain.”

Bilet took a deep breath in before sighing heavily. The odds of Rhea’s army winning against Edelgard were slim. If it hadn’t been for Byleth jumping in, Flayn would’ve been another failure in Bilet’s book. He still didn’t fully trust her, but he didn’t doubt the fact that she felt guilty. Ever since they fused with Sothis all those years ago, the twins had been acutely aware of the other’s emotions. During the war, Bilet had assumed the fear Byleth felt was over the fact that they’d have to fight each other on the battlefield one day. He never stopped to assume that she regretted her decision. 

“I’ll try,” Bilet sighed. “I’m not making any promises, and if I can’t go back before the war, I’m not going back at all, but for Dimitri, Dedue, and every other student and citizen lost in this war… I’ll try.”

Byleth let out a sigh of relief. “Thank you, Let,” she breathed, slipping back to her old nickname for him. 

Unable to control Divine Pulse, herself, Byleth began running through different scenarios of what to do depending on where Bilet dropped them, assuming he could go back before the war. She watched as Bilet stood there with his eyes closed in concentration. Mentally, Byleth was preparing for the worst. She began thinking of ways to escape Edelgard and Hubert’s watchful gaze if Bilet was unsuccessful. She mentally screamed at herself to turn down Edelgard if he dropped them at the moment it was revealed she was the Flame Emperor. She began replaying the fight against Solon in her head in case she had to redo that again.

What she didn’t mentally prepare for was Bilet standing at her side in a dimly lit home, and their father standing in front of them, alive and well.


	2. Lost In Time

“D-dad?” Byleth asked, her voice soft in disbelief. Bilet nudged her arm and she turned to face him. His hair was once again dark teal and his eyes were bright blue. He didn’t look younger, neither twin seemed to age, but he looked the same as he did almost seven years ago. The same as he looked before they fused with Sothis in a desperate attempt to escape whatever pocket dimension Solon had trapped them in.

“You awake, kid?” Their dad asked. Byleth tried to refocus on the situation at hand. Now was not the time for daydreaming. “Still thinking about that dream?” Their dad asked. “What was it about again?”

Byleth struggled to recall her answer. “It was about a war-”

“It was about a girl,” Bilet said at the same time, speaking over her. 

Their dad looked between the two of them. “You say something different, By? I know you and Bilet have been having that one dream about that girl.”

“I- no. It was the same dream,” Byleth said, trying to cover her tracks. Her legs were still shaky and it felt like the room was spinning. Just a minute ago, she was fighting for her life under Emperor Edelgard’s reign of terror. Now all of a sudden she was having a casual conversation with her father who’s been dead for years. Her hand instinctively tapped at her side, searching for the Sword of the Creator, but of course that wasn’t in her possession yet. 

She could feel Bilet’s gaze on her. The two of them were supposed to be damn near emotionless- the creepy twins who shared dreams and took on mercenary jobs with a dead look in their eyes. Byleth knew she needed to get it together. Bilet had managed to send them all the way back to before they even met Edelgard. All Byleth needed to do now was retrace her steps, pick any house that wasn’t Edelgard’s, and prevent Edelgard from starting a war against the rest of Fodlan.

Maybe she should also stop thinking about Edelgard so much.

“In any case, put that dream out of your mind for now,” their dad said, waving her off. “The battlefield is no place for idle thoughts. Letting your mind wander is a sure fire way to get yourself killed.”

Bilet nodded once and Byleth fought the urge to scratch her head and offer up an apology. That would’ve been too out of character for her at the time, so instead she followed in Bilet’s lead and nodded at her father’s instructions. 

“We need to get moving,” their father continued on. “We have a job scheduled in the Kingdom next. It’s pretty far from here, so we’ll need to leave at dawn.”

“Oh right,” Bilet muttered. Byleth wasn’t sure if he had actually forgotten about the job, or if he was just repeating what he said seven years ago. Their dad looked annoyed at the fact that he had forgotten, looked out the window, and cursed under his breath.

“Shit, everyone’s out there waiting for us.”

The door to the house suddenly slammed open. Bilet didn’t even flinch at the noise, but Byleth jumped back. Thankfully, their dad had already turned to see who barged in, so he didn’t witness his daughter’s out of character reaction to the noise. Bilet glared at her, but Byleth couldn’t help it. Slamming doors was something she tried to avoid. It normally meant Edelgard was in a mood, or that Hubert was on a rampage in his Emperor’s name, and Byleth was often dragged along for the ride.

“Sorry for barging in, Jeralt!” The mercenary apologized. Neither twin could recall his name, but it wouldn’t matter in a few hours. “We need you outside!”

“What’s happened?” Their dad asked.

“Three kids outside are requesting aid,” the mercenary explained. 

Byleth froze, and for a moment she could’ve sworn Bilet had stopped time. Her brother stared at her like he wanted to pause the world around them, but he was unable to do so just yet. Sothis had yet to give him that ability at this time. 

Their dad sighed and began to head towards the door. “Let’s go check it out.”

The mercenary and their dad left. Bilet grabbed Byleth’s wrist as they slowly made their way towards the door.

“I understand this is a lot and it’s jaring, but we can’t break. Not now, not in front of dad and the students,” Bilet said, keeping his voice down. 

“I know, I’m sorry,” Byleth apologized. “I don’t think I can face her though without reacting.”

Bilet stopped walking and thought for a minute. “Dad’s going to have one of us gather weapons for them. I’ll go out and meet the house leaders, you go get the training weapons from the storage rooms and do whatever you need to do to mentally prepare yourself for facing Edelgard again.”

“She’s going to kill me for betraying her,” Byleth whispered.

“She doesn’t even know who you are at this moment in time,” Bilet countered. “She’s not the Emperor yet, she’s just a kid who’s only weapon will be a wooden training axe. She can’t kill you with that.”

“Can’t I just stay back for a bit?” Byleth asked. “You won’t need my help chasing off a few bandits.”

Bilet shook his head. “No, but I’ll need you out there to kick me in case I start to cry.”

Neither twin needed to specify why they’d potentional cry if they went outside. “We can’t cry yet,” Byleth said. “Our first tears are reserved for dad.”

“First ones are for dad,” Bilet nodded in agreement. “Get the weapons, I’ll be waiting outside.”

Bilet headed outside, closing the door behind him. He faltered for a moment when he saw a blonde child clothed in a black and blue uniform bowing to his father out of respect. Prince Dimitri himself, alive and well, accompanied by Edelgard and Claude. All of them looked so young, but all of their eyes had a certain gleam that regular children didn’t have. Whether it was secrets or trauma, they all had reasons to present themselves as being more grown up than they actually were.

“Please forgive our intrusion,” Dimitri said, rising from his bow. “We wouldn’t bother you were the situation not dire.”

“What do a bunch of kids like you want at this hour?” Jeralt asked, taking his time to glance over each of them carefully.

“We’re being pursued by a group of bandits,” Dimitri explained. 

“Bandits here?” Jeralt asked.

Edelgard nodded and Bilet fought the urge to go over there and punch her for stealing his sister away. “It’s true. They attacked us while we were at rest in our camp.”

“We’ve been separated from our companions and we’re outnumbered,” Claude continued. “They’re after our lives, and probably our gold.”

“I’m impressed you’re staying so calm considering the situation,” Jerlat said. 

Bilet tried to look anywhere but directly at the three house leaders. He too had been Edelgard’s professor back in the day, so between that and watching Dimitri die several times in the future, Bilet was having a hard time keeping his emotions in check. Unfortunately, while he was trying to look away, he ended up making eye contact with Claude. It didn’t matter how hard Bilet tried to hide his emotions, Claude would catch on and notice something was up soon enough. He might not have been their student before, but Claude always seemed to keep an eye on the twins in the past.

“Bandits spotted just outside the village!” One of the other mercenaries in their group shouted. “Damn lot of ‘em too!”

“Guess they followed you all the way here,” Jeralt scowled. Bilet bit his tongue to keep from laughing. If his father knew who he was speaking to… well, in all honesty, he probably wouldn’t have changed a thing about how he spoke.

“Come on, let’s move,” he said, turning back towards Bilet. “Where’s your sister?”

“Grabbing some weapons for those three,” Bilet explained, not taking his focus away from his father. “She wasn’t sure if they’d be armed or not.”

As if on cue, Byleth came out of the house holding a training bow, a quiver of arrows, a training spear, and a training axe. Bilet went over to help her and took the axe and lance from her. The twins went over and distributed the weapons to the waiting students, Byleth trying desperately to not focus on Edelgard or tear up at the sight of Dimitri. 

“They’re not fancy, but they’re better than nothing,” Jerald said, nodding at the weapons.

“We appreciate them nonetheless,” Dimitri said, bowing his head once again in gratitude.

The sound of bandits approaching grew closer. Jeralt had grabbed his lance, but made no indication that he was going to jump in and fight. It made sense, at least in the twins’ minds. Their dad still expected to travel to the Kingdom after this was over and probably wanted to save his strength for the journey. 

“You’re not helping us?” Claude asked, eyeing Jeralt’s relaxed stance.

“I’m here if you need me,” Jerald said, smirking a bit at the concerned expressions coming from the house leaders. “I don’t think my services will be needed though.”

“You have such high faith in us to defend ourselves with sharpened wood?” Edelgard asked, her tone sharper than her weapon.

One of the bandits charged towards them suddenly. Without hesitation, Byleth ran right towards him, drawing her iron sword as she ran. She spun on the ball of her foot once she got close enough and drew her arm back before slicing clean through whatever armor the bandit had been wearing, downing him in one blow. 

“More like I have faith in my kids to keep you safe,” Jeralt responded, not missing a beat.

Claude let out a low whistle. “Didn’t expect to run into mercenaries like you in some random village. The gods of fortune must be smiling on me!”

Bilet couldn’t blame the young noble for being shocked. Despite it happening years ago, he knew he had been the one to go after the first bandit originally. He hadn’t finished him off in one blow either. They didn’t have the luxury of holding back during the war, but now they had to be careful to not give themselves away as much more skilled fighters to their dad.

Drawing his own sword, Bilet walked up to join Byleth towards the front. Byleth was staring at the dead body at her feet, her eyes blank. Killing in a battle had never bothered either of the twins before, it was all part of the job, and they never found themselves capable of caring about the lives of strangers back when they were full time mercenaries. Now though, after fighting through a war under a tyrannical Emperor, it felt weird holding a regular iron blade and engaging in such a petty fight. Byleth missed the feel of the Sword of the Creator in her hands, but she shoved that feeling down and attempted to focus on the battle to come.

“You have a strange aura about you,” Edelgard said, suddenly walking up next to her. Byleth froze as a chill ran down her spine. Half of her wanted to drive her sword through the Princess’ throat right then and there. The other half felt a strong need to drop to a knee and await orders from her Emperor. She could still feel Hubert’s piercing gaze on the back of her neck, threatening her without needing words to get his point across.

“What do you mean by that?” Bilet asked, speaking up in his sister’s place.

Edelgard blinked in confusion, but whether she was confused as to why Byleth herself didn’t answer or why Bilet sounded so defensive over a simple statement, neither twin could tell. “I meant no disrespect,” the Princess reassured. “I merely meant that you call yourselves mercenaries, but I get the feeling you’re more than what you claim to be.”

“What Edelgard is trying to say is thank you and we are in your debt,” Dimitri said, going up to stand beside Bilet. “It would do the three of us no good to fall in a place like this, so let’s work together to drive out these thieves.”

“If we hide in those bushes up ahead, we can ambush any bandits that try and pass by,” Byleth said, speaking up for the first time amongst the group. Her brain was racing, telling her to get away from the girl at her side. Without waiting for the rest of them to agree or disagree with her idea, Byleth hurried forward and ducked into the bushes. Thankfully, when the rest of the group followed her lead, Bilet made sure to position himself between his sister and the Princess. 

It wasn’t long before another bandit ran by. Thinking fast, Dimitri stuck out his lance and tripped him. Two of the bandit’s buddies saw him hit the ground and ran over to see who was hiding in the bushes. Edelgard wasted no time swinging her axe over her head and bringing it down on the tripped bandit’s neck. The snap of his bones caught Byleth’s attention, but Bilet snapped at her to focus. Edelgard killed some of the bandits in the past, so none of this should’ve been shocking to her.

“That plan of yours didn’t last long,” Claude teased as he stepped back and shot an arrow at one of the oncoming bandits. The arrow hit the bandit’s shoulder, and Bilet jumped up to finish him off. Like Byleth, he felt weird holding a simple sword again. During the war, Bilet had grown accustomed to using magic in his fights. Thankfully, his sword skills weren’t lost and the muscle memory was coming back to him slowly like an old friend he never quite forgot. Claude managed to shoot the third bandit, and Dimitri ran over to finish him off.

“Damn. Wasn’t expecting mercenaries in the village,” a gruff voice spoke up from up ahead. Byleth and Bilet recognized the leader of the bandit group, his ugly, jagged face being a hard one to forget, but neither could remember his name. Not like it mattered though. 

“You kids still alive?” Jeralt asked from his spot back by the village gates.

“Is this a game to him?” Claude asked the twins.

“We’re alive!” Bilet called back.

“You ask if this is a game, but you all seem more than capable of handling these guys without us,” Byleth said, not taking her eyes off of the enemies ahead.

“While we have all been trained to fight, we were unarmed and caught off guard,” Dimitri said, trying to explain their request for help. “Our hand-to-hand skills are not refined enough to take on a group of enemies this size.”

“Speak for yourself,” Edelgard smirked.

“Well then, Princess, why don’t you go over there and punch ugly in the jaw?” Claude teased.

“You, with the blank stare!” The bandit leader shouted, pointing his axe directly at Byleth. “Outta my way. My fight is with those brats behind you.”

While Byleth held the leader’s attention, Bilet snuck around and attacked from the side. He managed to land a shallow cut in the guy’s arm before the leader jumped back, cursing in pain. He moved to counter attack, swinging his axe towards Bilet. He tried to dodge, but the bandit leader still managed to get a hit on his leg. Bilet hissed in pain and stepped back, trying to stay on his feet.

“Let!” Byleth shouted. She raised her own sword and prepared to charge in, but the sound of hooves galloping across the dirt behind her made her stop. She remembered this moment.

The bandit leader’s eyes grew wide as he watched the mounted mercenary approach, lance drawn with a stern expression on his face. “What the hell? You’re Jeralt the Blade Breaker, aren’t you?” The leader shouted, sounding nervous all of a sudden. “What’s a renowned mercenary like you doing in a place like this?”

“I’m the one who should be complaining,” Jeralt said, his tone sharp. “I’m the one caught up in the mess that you started! And now you’ve gone and injured my son.”

Without giving the bandit leader a chance to respond, Jeralt stabbed his lance forward, hitting the bandit’s shoulder while Byleth ran up and cut his side. He fell backward onto the dirt and laid still. The pair backed away from the body.

“I’ll chase off the rest of them, you go check on your brother,” her dad instructed before maneuvering his house around to circle around and scare off any remaining bandits.

Byleth wasted no time running over to her brother’s side. “You okay, Let?” She asked, taking a look at his wound.

“By, you remember what’s about to happen, right?” He asked, ignoring her initial question.

Byleth stared at the ground. “Do we have to save her?”

“If we want access to Divine Pulse again, I think we have to.”

As if on cue, the bandit leader sprang up from his position of playing dead and began charging straight towards Edelgard. The Princess unsheathed a small dagger in an attempt to protect herself, but Bilet forced himself to fight through the pain and ran out to block the attack, while Byleth ran in front of Edelgard to protect her. The bandit’s axe swung down and time stopped, but instead of the world around them freezing, Bilet and Byleth found themselves in a pitch black void with only Sothis sitting atop her throne to keep them company.

“You’d think after going through this little incident of yours before, you two would learn how to resolve this issue without me needing to step in and break time again.”

Bilet and Byleth stared at the green haired goddess. They knew she was angry with them, but neither one cared. It had been years since they saw her. They had missed her.

“Honestly, did you two learn nothing during the war?” Sothis continued.

“You remember what we did?” Byleth asked, her voice soft. She was afraid that Sothis would hate her for turning against Rhea.

Sothis frowned and leaned forward in her throne. “Of course I remember. It’s my time travel power. I didn’t think you’d go as far back as you did, but I assume it was for a good reason.”

“I want to stop Edelgard and prevent the war,” Byleth admitted.

“And what makes you think going back in time will stop the war?” Sothis asked. “Some things can’t be changed, no matter how far back you go.”

“We know,” Bilet said.

Sothis smirked. “I know you know. I don’t think your sister knows though.”

“Take away whatever power I have from you and give it all to Let if you have to,” Byleth said. “Kill me if you have to, I don’t care! Whatever it takes to stop Edelgard from conquering Fodlan, I’m willing to do it.”

“I’m not going to kill you,” Sothis scoffed. “Sheesh, I forgot how dramatic you humans can be. You don’t value your life, so you don’t care to protect it. That’s what got you in this specific predicament, isn’t it?”

“Actually, no,” Bilet spoke up. “We thought we had to repeat our original actions in order to unlock Divine Pulse again.”

“You idiots still need me to guide you it seems,” Sothis sighed. “There’s nothing for me to unlock. That power has been inside you for as long as I have. The only reason you couldn’t use it originally was because you didn’t know how. Have you even tried to use it since going back?”

Bilet shook his head. “No, I just assumed I had lost the ability once I picked a stop to drop us.”

“All that time spent as professors and yet you still think and act like children,” Sothis laughed.

“You made fun of us for this before too,” Byleth said.

“Well give me new things to make fun of you for and I’ll stop!” Sothis exclaimed. “Would you rather I laugh at the fact that you fools threw yourselves in front of an axe to save the girl who will later go on and start a war with the rest of Fodlan? Or how about I go on about how stupid you’d have to be to follow her?” She asked, locking eyes with Byleth as she spoke that last part.

“If you don’t think I’m worthy of saving, then let the axe fall,” Byleth snapped.

“If I didn’t think you were worthy of saving, I simply wouldn’t have saved you.”

Without giving either twin a chance to respond, Sothis sent them back in time to the moment before Edelgard was attacked. This time, Bilet shoved Edelgard out of the way while Byleth stood in front to defend since she was the one who was unharmed. She managed to disarm the bandit and kicked him square in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards. Like a scared animal, the bandit leader ran off for the trees, leaving his axe behind.

“Hey!” Claude called out while he and Dimitri ran over to check on them. Jeralt had chased off the last of the bandits and came over to join them. He eyed the twins suspiciously.

“Did you just-”

“The Knights of Seiros are here!” A familiar voice boomed, echoing throughout the clearing. “We’re here to cut down any foe terrorizing our students!”

Running over in his heavy armor was Alois, someone Byleth had recently faced in battle during the war. While she herself hadn’t killed him, she never found out if he survived or not. Seeing him alive though was overwhelming. 

“The three of us are unharmed, Sir Alois,” Dimitri informed. “One of the mercenaries who fought to defend us though was injured. Do you happen to have a healer along with you?”

“There’s a local healer here I can go to, I’ll be fine,” Bilet said, already knowing the answer to Dimitri’s question was no.

“Captain Jeralt?” Alois asked, ignoring Dimitri and Bilet and looking straight at the twin’s father. “By the goddess, it is you! Goodness, it’s been ages since I last saw you, friend! Don’t tell me you don’t recognize Alois, your right-hand man from back in the day! I haven’t seen you in what, twenty something years? I knew you were still alive! Nothing can down the mighty captain Jeralt!” 

“You haven’t changed a bit, Alois,” Jeralt said, his voice sounding strained. “Just as loud as ever. And drop that ‘captain’ shit, alright? I’m not your captain anymore. I’m just a wandering mercenary now who has work to do, so I’m afraid this is goodbye once again, old friend.”

“No, that’s not how this ends! I must insist that you return to the monastery with me!” Alois pushed.

“Garreg Mach Monastery,” Jeralt sighed. “I suppose this was inevitable. Couldn’t stay away forever.”

“And how about these two strangers?” Alois asked, not paying attention to Jeralt’s bitter muttering. “Are you two the captain’s kids?”

“This man is a stranger to me,” Bilet lied.

“I’m just a bandit they forgot to take down,” Byleth deadpanned.

Alois laughed while their dad just rolled his eyes at his kids’ antics. “Great sense of humor, these two! Clearly cut from the same cloth as the captain! You two will join us at the monastery, won’t you?”

Byleth nodded while her dad sighed heavily. Bilet patted his dad on the back in an attempt to comfort him without going too far as to seem suspicious. 

“What’s wrong, captain?” Alois asked. “Not thinking about running off again, are you?”

Jeralt frowned. “Even I know better than to run from the Knights of Seiros.”

“Well then, let’s get your kid healed up and be on our way!” Alois said, slapping Jeralt on the back.

“Here, let us help you get to that healer you mentioned,” Dimitri offered, reaching out to help guide Bilet.

“Don’t worry about it, I got him,” Byleth said, grabbing her brother and leading him away from the group.

“Meet back here as soon as Let’s healed, you two!” Their dad yelled after them.

Bilet wrapped his arm around Byleth’s shoulders and limped away with his sister supporting him. Once they were out of earshot, he let out a sigh of relief he had been holding in.

“What is it?” Byleth asked.

“Nothing really. Just glad to see everyone alive again,” Bilet explained. “Even if it’s just for now.”

“Even Edelgard?”

“Well, she does put a damper on things,” he said. “How are you holding up?”

Byleth bit her lip. “It’s… a struggle, to say the least. Part of me wants to kill her for what she did, or I guess what she plans on doing. Part of me though is still afraid of the consequences that come with going against her orders.”

“We won’t be her professors this time around. Maybe her plan to start a war will fail since you don’t plan on siding with her this time?” Bilet suggested.

“Do you think it’s my fault that she got so far then?” Byleth whispered.

“I don’t know,” Bilet sighed. “What matters now is that you’re working to change it.”

They remained silent for the rest of the walk, Byleth’s guilt weighing heavier on her shoulders than her brother's literal weight. Part of Bilet wanted to comfort his sister and tell her it wasn’t her fault, but he also didn’t want to lie to her just to make her feel better. They had stood on opposite sides during the war. It would take time for Bilet to fully trust her again.

Thankfully, the old lady who served as the town healer was awake. She wasted no time sealing up the wound on Bilet’s leg with her magic, and even gave him a vulnerary for the road.

“You drink that up if your leg feels sore while you’re walking,” she instructed as the twins got up to leave.

“Are you sure we can’t pay you for your services?” Byleth asked, reaching for some coins she kept in her pockets.

The old lady waved her off. “No, no. You helped keep those bandits away, it’s the least I can do! Run along now! If you see the archbishop at Garreg Mach, give her my thanks, will ya?”

Bilet nodded while Byleth mentally screamed.

“ _ Will you stop that! _ ” Sothis snapped at her. “ _ What, did you forget I’m inside your head or something? _ ”

“Sorry,” Byleth muttered as she turned away from the house. “Just forgot I’m going to have to face Rhea again.”

“It’s not like she’ll remember anything,” Bilet reassured her.

The twins headed back to the clearing just outside the village where they originally left everyone. Someone had started a small campfire, and the knights, students, and mercenaries were all going around sharing stories it sounded like. At the sight of the twins though, the three house leaders hopped up and excused themselves before going over to speak to Bilet and Byleth.

“I appreciate the help back there,” Edelgard said, smiling at the two mercenaries. “Your skills are beyond question.”

Byleth stayed quiet while Bilet nodded his head. “Thank you,” he said, his tone stiff.

“You two are clearly experienced mercenaries,” Edelgard continued, not paying attention to Bilet’s attitude. “And your father being none other than Jeralt the Blade Breaker, former captain of the Knights of Seiros? Truly remarkable.”

“I didn’t know he was a captain,” Bilet said, playing dumb. It was true that at this point in their lives, their father never mentioned being a knight, let alone a captain, but it still felt weird to feign ignorance. 

“How curious,” Edelgard hummed. “I’d wager the explanation for keeping you two in the dark is fascinating indeed.”

Byleth forced herself to keep her eyes focused on the ground, not wanting to look up and see the face of the woman she once served under. She was tired of hearing her speak already, and they had only just met at this point in time.

“You two are coming to the monastery with us, right?” Claude asked. Byleth mentally thanked him for jumping in and nodded her head.

“Of course,” she said, turning her attention towards the archer.

“Great! I’d love to bend your ear as we travel,” Claude winked. “Should probably mention that the three of us are students at the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery.”

“What were you doing all the way out here then?” Bilet asked, trying to sound genuinely interested despite already knowing the answer to his question.

“We were just doing some training exercises before those bandits attacked,” Claude explained. “I definitely got the worst of it, at least between us three students,” he clarified, glancing at Bilet’s previously injured leg.

“That would be because you ran off,” Edelgard scoffed.

“Too true!” Claude nodded. “I was the first to make a strategic retreat. Everything would’ve worked out if you two hadn’t followed me and ruined everything. It’s because of them that those bandits chased after us,” he told the twins, gesturing to Dimitri and Edelgard. “Utterly ridiculous.” 

“Ah, so that is what you were thinking, Claude,” Dimitri chuckled. “And here I thought you were acting as a decoy for the sake of us all.”

“His intentions were as clear as day. You will prove a lacking ruler if you cannot see the truth behind a person’s words,” Edelgard scowled.

Dimitri frowned. “Hm. You yourself will prove a lacking ruler if you look for deceit behind every word and fail to trust those whom you rely on.”

“Oh joy, a royal debate between Their Highnesses,” Claude deadpanned. “I wonder how being completely predictable affects one’s ability to wield power. Personally, as the embodiment of distrust, I’d say your little exchange smacks of naiveté.” 

“Me? Naive? Tell me, are you actually incapable of keeping quiet, or is your lack of self-awareness a condition of some sort?” Edelgard snapped.

Byleth fought to keep herself from flinching at Edelgard’s sharp tone, but thankfully none of the students noticed. Dimitri stepped in between the two feuding nobles in an attempt to halt their arguing. 

“Alright, let us not argue in front of our new allies.” He refocused his attention back on the twins. “Forgive our digression. I must speak with you two though, if you can spare a moment.”

Bilet gestured towards the Prince. “The floor is yours.”

“The way you two held your ground against the leader of the bandits was captivating! Neither of you ever lost control of the situation, and you both have shown me I still have much to learn,” Dimitri gushed.

“Your skills are exactly why I must ask you to consider lending your services to the Empire,” Edelgard said, cutting in.

“No,” Byleth answered immediately.

Edelgard blinked in surprise, clearly not used to people blatantly denying her. “No?”

“What my sister means is we have another job scheduled already,” Bilet explained, trying to cover for her. “Once we complete that, we’ll be available for hire again and will gladly hear out your request.”

“Edelgard, you did not even allow me to finish my own proposition,” Dimitri frowned.

“Well, apparently they’re not available for hire at the moment anyway,” Edelgard said.

“You two are tactless, trying to recruit people you just met,” Claude scoffed.

“As if you weren’t going to request their skills for your own agenda as well, Claude,” Edelgard said, rolling her eyes.

“I was personally planning on developing a deep and lasting friendship with them on our way back to the monastery before begging for favors,” Claude grinned. “But it seems there’s no time for niceties in this world, so I’m just going to get right to it. Do you two strangers have any loyalties to either the Alliance, Kingdom, or Empire?”

Byleth held her tongue and glanced at her brother, hoping he’d come up with a good enough answer. She had already denied Edelgard outright and almost messed everything up.

Thankfully, Bilet prepared for Claude’s question. “Currently, we are taking jobs wherever we are needed. Our next mission is in the Kingdom though, so that’s where we’ll be headed after we stop by the monastery, but there’s no guarantee that’s where we’ll stay.”

“I am certain you will do great work in the Kingdom,” Dimitri said, smiling.

“Don’t get too excited yet, Dimitri. They just said they might not stay,” Claude teased.

“Alright, that’s enough small talk,” Alois chimed in, walking over to the group. “It’s time to head back to the monastery!”

“We’ll have to pick this up another time,” Claude said with a wink before the three of them left with Alois to prepare for the journey ahead.

Once they were far enough away, Bilet turned to his sister and frowned. “You almost blew it there. Are you sure you can handle this?”

“I have to handle it,” Byleth sighed. “Once we get to the monastery and pick a different class, it’ll be easier to avoid her.”

“But we can’t avoid her completely. We’re supposed to try and convince her not to start a war,” Bilet reminded her.

“Can’t we just kill her?” Byleth asked, half joking.

“And have her father start a war instead?”

“We can take him.”

Bilet rolled his eyes. “Just be careful, okay? If you think you can’t handle it after we get to Garreg Mach, get out of there.”

“And leave you behind?” Byleth asked.

“You did before.”

Byleth frowned and looked away. “I’m not making that mistake again,” she whispered.

“I know,” Bilet said. “Come on, we should probably go get ready to leave.”

“ _ You need to get it together if you want to try and stop Edelgard from starting her war, _ ” Sothis spoke up.

“I’m sorry. I just feel like… like she’s constantly evaluating me, you know?” Byleth whispered.

“ _ Well what about the other two? _ ” Sothis asked. “ _ Who’s house will you two lead this time around?” _

“Dimitri seems sincere enough, even with that lurking darkness behind his eyes,” Bilet commented.

“And Claude’s easygoing smile is refreshing, even if it doesn’t quite reach his eyes,” Byleth added.

“ _ But which one is going to be capable of stopping Edelgard in the future if you two cannot convince her to give up on her fiendish plans? _ ” Sothis asked.

The twins looked at each other and pondered over Sothis’ question for a moment. They had gone back in time to do more than just prevent a war. They also shared the goal of saving the future King of Faerghus’ life.

Together, they were going to lead the Blue Lion’s house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I'm going to try and stick to a weekly update schedule, so a new chapter every Friday (fingers cross- I've never had an update schedule).


	3. Scorched By Flames

The Knights of Seiros walked ahead, leading the small group towards the monastery. Alois had insisted Jeralt marched with them, bragging to the other knights about the old captain’s previous victories and exploits. The twins had decided to hang back away from the knights, and instead walked with the three house leaders. Byleth had wanted to stay with her dad, far from Edelgard, but Bilet had given her a look that basically said ‘stay put,’ so she walked alongside Claude with only her brother separating her from Edelgard. 

“I just realized we never introduced ourselves,” Claude said almost an hour into their journey. Byleth had been listening to their idle chatter, half zoned out in an attempt to keep their emotions underwraps. Claude skipped ahead a couple steps in front of the group and opted to walk backwards. He grinned and locked his fingers together behind his head in a casual manner. “Name’s Claude von Riegan, heir to house Riegan in the Leicester Alliance, and leader of the Golden Deer house at the Officers Academy.”

“Are you always so casual with your valuable information with strangers?” Edelgard asked. 

“Funny how you think that’s my most valuable information,” Claude winked. “Besides, they saved our lives, and their dad was a freaking Knight of Seiros- a captain nonetheless! I think a title or two paired with a name is fine for an introduction.” He put his hands back down at his sides and fell back into line. “Who wants to go next?”

“I guess I will,” Dimitri volunteered after a moment of silence. He stepped out of line, but only adjusted slightly so the twins could see him rather than fully walking backwards. “My name is Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd. I am the prince of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, and once I am of age, I will ascend to the throne. I am also the house leader of the Blue Lion house at the Officers Academy at Garreg Mach Monastery.” Once he was finished, he stepped back in line next to Claude.

“Saving the best for last, I see,” Edelgard chuckled as she stepped out of line. “I am Edelgard von Hresvelg, princess and future emperor of the Adrestian Empire, as well as the leader of the Black Eagle house at the Officers Academy.” 

“Lovely to meet you all,” Byleth muttered quickly, refusing to make eye contact with the princess staring directly at her. Edelgard waited for a moment to see if the mercenary would meet her gaze, but she eventually took her place back in line.

“Your guys’ turn,” Claude said, nudging Byleth’s arm. She flinched away from the touch and kept her mouth shut while Bilet took a step forward to handle the introductions.

“My name is Bilet Eisner, and this is my twin sister, Byleth Eisner,” he said, gesturing to Byleth. She gave a quick wave, but continued to say nothing. She had already outwardly refused Edelgard earlier, and she was scared to say the wrong thing again. There was also a small voice in the back of her mind that wasn’t Sothis, reminding her not to speak out of turn in front of her highness. That voice sounded suspiciously like Hubert.

“Bilet and Byleth, huh?” Claude asked. “Those sure are some twin names.”

“Twin names?” Dimitri asked.

“Yeah, sometimes parents aren’t expecting twins, so they only have one name prepared, so when a second kid pops out, they just slightly tweak the first one’s name and call it a day,” Claude explained. “The question now is which one of you has the original name, and which one of you was the afterthought?”

“That’s a question for our father,” Bilet said. They never bothered to figure out who was born first in their original timeline. They didn’t care about little things like that back then. Claude grinned excitedly though and ran ahead to ask their father.

“I do apologize for his behavior,” Dimitri sighed as they all watched Claude grab hold of Jeralt’s arm in an attempt to pull him back towards their group. He seemed to follow, albeit begrudgingly. 

“What the hell are you going on about, kid?” Jeralt asked once Claude got him close enough to the group.

“Twin names,” Claude explained. “We were wondering-”

“Don’t say ‘we,’ Claude,” Edelgard jumped in. “This was all you, do not drag us into your nonsense.”

“Fine, I was wondering which one of your kids got the original name, and which one was the surprise you didn’t prepare a name for,” Claude corrected.

Jeralt rolled his eyes and tore his arm away from Claude’s grasp. “Bilet was born first, but Byleth was the name my wife and I came up with originally.”

Bilet mentally celebrated the newfound knowledge that now allowed him to play the older and wiser card against his sister.

“Wait, why did you give your first born the afterthought name?” Claude asked.

Jeralt looked at his children and shrugged. “Byleth seemed more fitting for a girl, and Bilet sounded more fitting for a boy. Figured we could call him Bill for short, but that never stuck.”

“Thank the goddess for that,” Bilet chuckled.

Jeralt eyed him suspiciously and Bilet bit his tongue. He had forgotten he wasn’t supposed to find things funny, or really have an opinion one way or another yet. The Eisner twins didn’t get the nickname The Ashen Demons for nothing after all. 

“Captain! Come back up here!” Alois called. “The guys don’t believe me when I say you could drink a horse under the table!”

“You’re not getting a live demonstration while we’re walking!” Jeralt yelled back. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You kids stay out of trouble. We’ll be reaching the monastery soon.”

“This will be your first time at the monastery, right?” Dimitri asked the twins as Jeralt made his way back towards the front. “I’d be more than happy to show you around once we arrive.”

“The monastery is basically all of Fodlan in a nutshell,” Claude sighed. “The good and the bad.”

“Like it or not, we’ll be there soon enough,” Edelgard said, cutting Claude off from going on about his opinions on the monastery.

“Fodlan in a nutshell, you say?” Byleth repeated quietly, mostly to herself.

“You don’t talk much, do you?” Claude asked, eyeing her closely. “You let your brother do most of the speaking I’ve noticed. Is that like a sexist, ‘ _ women should be seen, not heard _ ’ type of thing?”

Byleth shot the archer a cold glare. “I’m shy,” she deadpanned.

Bilet tried to stifle his laughter while Claude attempted to recover, swearing up and down he didn’t agree with the saying, he was just curious as to why she rarely spoke. Edelgard rolled her eyes at Claude’s verbal stumbling while Dimitri just sighed, as if he had given up on apologizing for the young noble’s blunders after less than a day. They felt like a regular group of kids doing regular dumb kid shit. Knowing what they knew though made the moment feel surreal to Bilet and Byleth. How did this group go from friendly banter to deadly retaliation in only the span of a year? And how could they, as professors, prevent that from happening a second time?

They followed the path out of the woods and stepped into a clearing. Resting on top of the hill aways in front of them stood Garreg Mach Monastery. The five of them all paused for a moment and stared in awe, the students because they weren’t quite used to the view yet, and the mercenaries because they hadn’t seen the monastery in all of its glory in years.

“There it is,” Edelgard said, her voice surprisingly calm. “Garreg Mach Monastery.”

Byleth couldn’t help but wonder if the princess dreamed of tearing the place down yet, or if the damage they had caused was just an accident from the war.

The journey up the hill was draining. Bilet smirked and gave his sister a knowing look. Back when they were professors the first time around, once a week they would have their class do sprints up and down the path they were currently on as a form of endurance training. Bilet couldn’t recall ever seeing Linhardt or Bernadette in class those days. Knowing them, they were either hiding away in the library, or locked away in their rooms.

Alois had gone on ahead to meet with the archbishop and give his report on what happened. A few of the knights hung back though to escort the students and mercenaries through the premises. Once they were through the main gate, the three house leaders broke off to go rejoin their classes.

“It was lovely to meet you,” Edelgard said, repeating Byleth’s own words right back at her before turning to leave.

“Thank you once again for your help,” Dimitri said before going off as well.

“We’ll be seeing each other again soon, I’m sure,” Claude smirked before chasing off after the young prince.

The knights led the mercenaries through a small courtyard. Jeralt paused and looked straight up. The twins followed his line of sight, already knowing who he was looking up at.

“Rhea’s here,” their dad said, his tone guarded. He had no problem giving the young nobles flack, but Byleth knew how dangerous it could be to speak out against Rhea, especially in the monastery surrounded by her knights. The archbishop seemed to stare down at them for a moment before turning around and heading back inside. 

“This way,” one of the knights said, holding open the door for them.

“I know where we’re going, we don’t need an escort. Follow me,” their dad said, walking on ahead. Bilet and Byleth thanked the guard for holding the door and followed their father down the hall. The audience chamber was on the second floor, but their dad seemed to drag his feet heading there. “It’s been years since I’ve last set eyes on this place,” he muttered, mostly to himself. “To be forced to see her now…”

“You’ve seen her before?” Byleth asked. She never got the answers she wanted from Rhea back in her original timeline, and since she still didn’t fully trust the archbishop, she figured she’d be better off pushing her dad for answers this time around.

Their dad scratched the back of his head as they walked up the staircase. “I’ve uh, never spoken of this to you before, but many years ago I was a knight here. I reported to the archbishop during that time, Lady Rhea.”

“So we’ve heard,” Bilet hummed. 

“Who is Lady Rhea?” Byleth pushed. She noticed Bilet staring at her, confused as to why she was pushing so hard for answers. It never occurred to Byleth that her brother most likely knew everything after fighting under Rhea’s army.

“As you know, the majority of folks in Fódlan are devout followers of the teachings of Seiros,” their dad began to explain. “The leader of that stu- er, ridiculously large religious organization is the archbishop, Lady Rhea.”

The three of them walked into the audience chambers where Rhea and Seteth were standing in wait. Bilet felt somewhat bad for going back in time without explaining to Seteth what he was doing, or at the very least saying goodbye. Byleth felt guilty for fighting for the side that almost resulted in permanently killing his sister, Flayn. As they walked up to stand before the two green haired religious devotes, Byleth once again found herself unable to make eye contact. The woman in front of her had ordered her and her brother to kill Edelgard years ago, and instead of following orders, Byleth raised the Sword of the Creator against the church and against her own brother to save the girl she thought would bring a brighter future to Fódlan.

“Thank you for meeting with us, Jeralt,” Seteth spoke. “My name is Seteth. I am an advisor to the archbishop.”

“Right. Hello,” their dad said, sounding a mix of both bored and annoyed.

“It has been a long time, Jeralt,” Rhea said, her voice soft and gentle. Nothing at all like the voice that called for Edelgard’s death. “I wonder… was it the will of the goddess that we have another chance meeting like this?”

Both twins caught the pleased glance Rhea gave each of them.

“Forgive my silence all these years,” their dad said, bowing to Rhea out of respect. “Much has happened since last we spoke.”

“So I see,” Rhea chuckled. “The miracle of fatherhood has blessed you. These are your children, are they not?”

“Yes… born many years after I left this place,” their father answered, a slight hesitation in his voice. “I wish I could introduce you to their mother, but unfortunately we lost her to… an illness.”

“I see,” Rhea said, not buying a word of what Jeralt had just said. Both of the twins knew their dad was lying, but they weren’t sure if he knew Rhea knew he was lying too. Then again, he didn’t know they knew he was lying.

“My condolences,” Rhea continued. “As for you two, Alois spoke of your valiant efforts. What are your names?”

“My name is Bilet Eisner,” Bilet answered.

Byleth just stared at the archbishop. She was against Edelgard’s war, but that didn’t mean she trusted Rhea yet. She had kept so many secrets from the twins originally, secrets that, if shared, likely would’ve changed Byleth’s decision to save Edelgard. As guilty as she felt for siding with the Emperor, she knew she wasn’t the only person at fault in the room.

“You must at least show the basic courtesy of telling us your name!” Seteth snapped. “Your brother had no problem introducing himself. Do you not think you are being a bit rude to the archbishop?”

“It is all right, Seteth,” Rhea said, reaching her hand out to quiet her advisor. She directed her full attention to Byleth and smiled sweetly. “My dear, I am called Rhea,” she said, speaking softly. She sounded nothing like Byleth remembered. “I am the archbishop of the Church of Seiros. In truth, I was only being polite. I already know your name, Byleth Eisner. Such a fine name you hold.”

_ “You are just another failure, Byleth Eisner.” _

Both twins glanced at each other. Originally, they had both introduced themselves to Rhea when she asked. While they both knew that they had been born at the monastery and that Rhea had known them as infants, it was still unnerving to hear her address Byleth by her full name without Byleth needing to confirm it out loud.

“From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for saving those students of the Officers Academy,” she continued on. 

_ “Such a rebellious heart cannot be allowed to keep beating.” _

Their father grunted at her praise, catching Rhea’s attention. “Jeralt, you already know what it is I wish to say, do you not?”

“You want me to rejoin the Knights of Seiros, don’t you? I won’t say no, but…” their father trailed off, pinching the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

“Your apprehension stings,” Rhea frowned. “I had expected that Alois would have already asked this of you. Unfortunately, I must step away for now, but I expect they will desire a word with you soon. Please listen carefully to what they have to say. Until tomorrow, farewell.”

With that, Rhea and Seteth walked out, leaving Bilet and Byleth alone with their father.

“I can’t believe it,” he sighed heavily. “Forced back into the Knights of Seiros. I’m sorry I dragged you two into this. Looks like I’m gonna be stuck here for a while. And I’m afraid your services are requested as well.”

“We have to work here?” Bilet asked.

“Like servants?” Byleth followed up.

“No, nothing like that,” their dad waved off. “They want you two to teach by the sound of it. You heard those brats earlier mention the Officers Academy, right? They’re short a professor suddenly, and Alois mentioned on the way here that he was going to recommend you two to Lady Rhea in his report.”

“Are we even qualified?” Byleth asked.

Their dad looked like he was about to respond when suddenly the sound of footsteps walking in echoed throughout the room. The three of them all turned to watch as professors Manuela and Hanneman walked in, both of them looking younger and much happier than when Byleth last saw them.

“So! You must be the new professor,” Manuela said seductively, letting her eyes wander up and down the twin’s father, as if they weren’t also present in the room with them. “My, how stern and handsome you are!”

“Er, no, I’m not the one you’re looking for,” their father chuckled nervously. He patted Bilet and Byleth on their backs before backing away slowly. “You two can handle things from here. Good luck!”

Before he left, he grabbed Byleth and pulled her in close. “Watch out for Lady Rhea. I don’t know what she’s thinking, making you two professors. She might be up to something, so stay on your guard. Let your brother know too,” he whispered to her before leaving the audience chambers.

“Oh, which one of you is it then?” Manuela asked, looking at the two mercenaries left. “You’re both so young.”

“Competence and age are not necessarily correlated, as you well know,” Hanneman said to Manuela before turning his attention back on the twins. “I am Hanneman, a Crest scholar and a professor at the Officers Academy.” 

“My name is Bilet, and this is my sister, Byleth,” Bilet introduced, since he apparently couldn’t rely on his sister to give out her own name. “I think we’re co-teaching a class, since this’ll be our first year as professors.”

“Co-teaching?” Manuela asked. “Wow, back in my day, they just threw us in the deep end and hoped we knew how to swim.”

“I’m curious, do either of you bear a Crest of your own?” Hanneman asked, ignoring Manuela’s comment.

“Uhh…” Bilet stuttered.

“We don’t know,” Byleth jumped in. “We’re not nobles, so we’ve never been tested.” 

“Well then, when next you have a moment to spare, I insist that you pay me a visit so we can delve into the subject further!” Hanneman invited.

“I’m Manuela,” Manuela cut in, slightly peeved the attention wasn’t on her. “I’m a professor, a physician, a songstress, and available,” she said with a wink. “It’s nice to meet you two.”

“You’re a physician?” Bilet asked, trying to steer the conversation away from her relationship status.

Manuela laughed at the question. “I look too pretty for that line of work, don’t I? But yes, when I’m not teaching, I can be found working in the infirmary. If you’re ever lonely, please do come and pay me a visit. I would love to-”

“Spare our  _ young _ colleagues the needless chatter, Manuela,” Hanneman said, cutting her off while putting extra emphasis on the word ‘young.’ Byleth wondered how Bilet managed to fight alongside Manuela for part of the war. “I expect you two haven’t been briefed on the nature of the three houses here at the academy yet, have you?” He asked.

“I’ll do you a favor and explain,” Manuela offered, not bothering to wait for either twin’s answer. “The Officers Academy is comprised of three houses of students, each one closely affiliated with its region of origin-”

“Um, actually the house leaders went over all of them on our way here,” Byleth said, cutting her off. “Thank you for the offer though.”

“It’s fascinating how the next emperor, king, and sovereign duke are all here in the same year,” Bilet added in an attempt to make Byleth’s lie seem a little more believable. 

Manuela looked slightly annoyed that her explanation had been cut short, but Hanneman nodded. “Yes, it certainly is looking to be a promising year for the academy!”

“I’ll say. I just hope none of those little treasures cause any trouble,” Manuela snickered. “I suggest you two roam around and get to know the students a bit. Some odd ducks in that bunch, but they’re good kids. Lady Rhea should have more information for us tomorrow regarding our classes and upcoming assignments.”

“Thank you,” Bilet said before turning to leave, Byleth right at his heels. He had grown used to Manuela’s flirtatious behavior during the war, but he could sense his sister’s discomfort over being in a room with her, even without the heightened emotional connection that came from fusing with Sothis.

“Good luck!” Manuela called out after them. “You’ll need it!”

Once they were out of the room, Byleth groaned and rubbed her face. Bilet chuckled at his sister’s stressed out behavior. 

“How did you fight alongside her for so long?” Byleth asked, her voice strained.

Bilet shrugged. “She grows on you.”

“Don’t tell me you share her feelings towards you.”

“What? Don’t like the idea of professor Manuela as your sister-in-law?” Bilet teased. Byleth groaned again and shoved her brother away as he laughed at her.

“What are we supposed to do now?” Byleth asked, keeping an eye out for any wandering eyes or listening ears. “We don’t need to go tour around the monastery, and we don’t need to interview the students again before making a decision this time.”

“We should still go around and at least let them know we’ll be co-teaching a house this year,” Bilet said. “It’ll help them get to know us better since we are technically strangers again.”

“I wonder who will teach the Black Eagles if we’re going with the Blue Lions this time,” Byleth pondered out loud.

“Manuela will probably stay with the Golden Deer, and I guess Hanneman will take over for the Black Eagles.”

Bilet opened the door to one of the training yards and held it open for his sister. She thanked him and headed outside, only to freeze the moment she saw who all was out there. Gathered on the training grounds were the students from the Blue Lion house. Students Byleth had seen stand against the Empire during the war. Students she had personally fought during that time.

Annette was off to the side, watching Ashe as he showed her how to properly notch an arrow. He took aim at the target, biting his lip in concentration before letting the arrow fly. It hit just outside of the bullseye.

_ “Why must we fight like this?” _

_ “Don’t look at me that way, you’ll throw off my aim.” _

Sylvain was standing over by Ingrid. Byleth watched him make the mistake of going up behind Ingrid in an attempt to show her how to wield a lance. His flirting failed and Ingrid raised her fist up, hitting him in the nose. The nobleman stepped back, his hands raised in surrender.

_ “Has it really been five years? We ought to raise a glass to the occasion. Celebrate your return.” _

_ “You have chosen to assist the Empire, even while knowing of their deeds. I am truly disappointed in you, Professor.” _

Mercedes was seated up against a pillar, watching Dedue and Felix go after Dimitri in a 2-v-1 style training brawl. She seemed to be playing the role of referee, while Dedue ran at Dimitri with his practice axe, and Felix swung at the prince with his practice sword.

_ “I’m sorry, Professor. I can’t join you…” _

_ “It is a shame.” _

_ “No need for chitchat. Come at me!” _

After only a minute of fighting, Dimitri won.

_ “Not yet… I can’t die just yet…” _

Byleth jumped at the sudden hand on her shoulder, only to realize it was Bilet. He noticed the fear in her eyes, how unfocused she was despite staring intensely at the class before. Her breaths were quick and shallow. Nothing felt real. None of them should still be alive- how were they alive?

“They’re real,” Bilet whispered. “You’re not facing them in battle anymore. They’re alive, and they’re in front of you. We’re here to save them.”

Byleth struggled to stand as she felt her knees go weak. How could she teach kids that she fought in the future? How could she stand in front of them and call herself their professor when she had seen the light leave almost everyone of their eyes during the war, some even by her own hand?

“I- I can’t… I need to step away for a moment,” Byleth muttered, fleeing back inside. She ran down the hall and threw open the door to an empty classroom. She shut the door behind her and crawled into the far corner of the room, tucking her knees up to her face and crossing her arms over them so she could bury her head in them. She could still feel the fire burning around her on the battlefield. Her Majesty loved using the natural destruction fire brought. How many soldiers had burned to death in flames Byleth had given the order to light?

Byleth didn’t even hear the classroom door open and close again. Never noticed Bilet as he slowly walked over to her before kneeling down in front of her. All Byleth could think about was the war, and how strange it felt to openly cry despite showing almost zero emotion the first time around. 

“Talk to me, By,” Bilet said, keeping his voice low. “What do you see?”

“Fire,” Byleth whispered. The screams of pain that echoed in her ears were so loud, she was sure Sothis was going to wake up and yell at her to keep her war memories down. 

“By, the room isn’t on fire,” Bilet explained slowly. “You’re in a classroom at Garreg Mach Monastery in the year 1180. We went back in time using Divine Pulse about a day ago. The students you saw are all alive and real.”

“Did you know Annette, she… she asked for her father’s help, right after I… I…” Byleth couldn’t force herself to speak her sins out loud. She knew she was inside a classroom at Garreg Mach, and she knew that the classroom wasn’t on fire, but behind her eyes she was on the battlefield, wielding the Sword of the Creator as she faced off against the young mage that fought back against the Empire. After that battle, Byleth would still hear Gilbert’s screams of agony every night before falling asleep.

“Who all did you kill, By?” Bilet asked, trying to keep his voice level. War was messy, no one could deny that, but the twins were on different levels of guilt. Bilet had fought against and downed foes that he wished he didn’t have to, but unlike his sister, he didn’t regret his decision to stand by the Church. The guilt he felt wasn’t as soul crushing as whatever she was dealing with inside.

Byleth chuckled humorlessly. “Sylvain smiled when he saw me on the battlefield. Offered to celebrate my return, and commemorate it with my death. I don’t blame him. I actually wish he had won our duel.”

“That’s two,” Bilet counted.

“I gave Lysithea the chance to join us, join the Empire,” Byleth continued. “Same with Mercedes, but they both refused. I was able to spare Mercedes, but I never did learn if she survived the rest of the battle. As for Lysithea, Her Majesty ordered her death, since she didn’t want Lysithea’s abilities fighting against her.”

“Three,” Bilet added.

“I faced Claude, you know? He was another one of the few I was able to spare. I should’ve tried harder to spare more of them.”

“Claude didn’t side with the Empire though?” Bilet questioned.

Byleth shook her head. “No, he fled Fódlan all together. I told Her Majesty he had escaped, but his army had already been bested and his land taken, so she didn’t bother going after him. Said if he came back to cause trouble that she’d kill him herself.”

“Are there anymore?” Bilet asked. He decided to hold off on commenting about how she switched from using Edelgard’s name.

Byleth looked away, her chin resting on her knees. “Why does it matter?”

“It matters because it’s still affecting you,” Bilet explained. “I have a list of my own, you know? A list of people I couldn’t save, even with Sothis’ power.”

“Who’s on your list?”

“Well, at the top is dad,” Bilet started. “I’ve come to accept the fact that we most likely won’t be able to save him this time around either, so I’m keeping him on the list until I can prove myself wrong.”

“That one is a joint failure,” Byleth whispered. “I should’ve been faster.”

“You have enough on your plate, let me shoulder this one,” Bilet said, shaking his head. “You’re also on my list.”

“On it as in currently?”

Bilet nodded. “Until we stop Edelgard, or you turn her down at the moment of truth, I’m keeping you on the list.”

“You don’t trust me,” Byleth said. It wasn’t a question.

“I trust that you want to do the right thing, but so far in the last day, you’ve panicked over every little thing Edelgard has said or done in your presence. I don’t know what it was like serving under her during the war, but until you can prove me wrong, I have no way of knowing that you won’t go right back to her like a kicked dog who goes running back to their owner at the first whistle, hoping they won’t get kicked again.”

“I’m not going back,” Byleth insisted.

“You switched back to calling Edelgard ‘Her Majesty,’” Bilet pointed out. Byleth looked alarmed by that, not noticing her slip up. “Prove me wrong so I can take you off the list.”

“Is there anyone else?” Byleth asked.

“Dimitri’s still on there,” Bilet said. “Same thing, until I can prove to myself that I can save him, he’s staying on the list.”

“Three and three,” Byleth sighed.

“First to zero wins,” Bilet chuckled humorlessly. He stood up and reached down, offering his hand to Byleth. “Come on, let’s go find our rooms. I think we can save introductions for tomorrow.”

Byleth wiped away the last of her tears and nodded. She took her brother’s hand and allowed him to pull her up. Once she was on her feet, Byleth embraced Bilet in a bone crushing hug. He hesitated for a moment, surprised at the sudden show of affection, but after a second he wrapped his arms around her and held tight, afraid to let her go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Next week we’ll officially meet the everyone in the Blue Lion house 💙


	4. Here In Cherished Halls

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays everyone! It’s currently 7 am where I am and I haven’t gotten a wink of sleep because my younger siblings all want to open presents around 8 and so I figured I’d just stay up all night and sleep afterwards. None of that has to do with this chapter, I just thought I’d fill you in on my life. It’s times like this where I wish I moved out before the pandemic hit but oh well.
> 
> (The more serious note is at the end)

Waking up in her old bed at Garreg Mach Monastery was unsettling to say the least. Unsurprisingly, Byleth had struggled to fall asleep, the sound of Gilbert’s vengeful cry playing on repeat in her mind when she tried to find rest. She never returned to the monastery during the war, except to fight. While Bilet most likely slept in his old professor room during the war, Byleth had fallen asleep most nights wondering if her old room was even still standing after all of the attacks they had launched. It was a question she never got an answer to, and it was something she felt too nervous to ask Bilet about.

Byleth got dressed and sat at the edge of her bed, waiting for Bilet to come and fetch her. Sure enough, within minutes of her getting ready, there was a quick knock at her door. Byleth took a deep breath to steady herself before standing up to leave her room.

“You ready?” Bilet asked as she stepped out. “I heard Lady Rhea was waiting for us.”

“Best not to keep Rhea waiting,” Byleth hummed, closing the door behind her. She followed Bilet’s lead to the audience chambers up on the second floor of the monastery. The doors to the room were wide open, revealing Rhea, Seteth, Hanneman, and Manuela already inside, conversing about something Byleth couldn’t quite make out. At the sight of the twins though, the four of them stopped. Hanneman and Manuela moved over to make room for the twins to stand in between them while Rhea smiled warmly.

“Good morning,” she greeted, her voice as bright as ever. “How are you enjoying your time at the academy thus far? I hope you found our halls brimming with the vitality of well-intentioned souls.”

“The monastery is beautiful, and the group of students we observed yesterday seemed highly capable,” Bilet said, bowing his head to Rhea out of habit.

“Observed?” Manuela asked. “You didn't introduce yourselves to them?”

“That was my fault,” Byleth spoke up. “I was tired from the journey and retired early. I asked Bilet to wait to engage with any of the students so we could introduce ourselves together.”

“Hm,” Seteth hummed. “We were going to have you select which house you wanted to take charge of, since professor Manuela told us that she had instructed you to meet the students yesterday, but I suppose we could wait for you to properly introduce yourselves to everyone if you desire.”

“Actually, we decided last night that we wanted to instruct the house that we observed yesterday,” Bilet said. “That is, if it’s alright with all of you.”

“I must note that I am personally against entrusting individuals that are lacking in trackable history such as yourselves with the care of our students,” Seteth said, giving both of the mercenaries a stern look. “But it is as the archbishops desires.”

“Which house will you two co-teach this year?” Rhea asked.

Byleth looked to Bilet to answer, but just just stared back at her. He needed to hear her claim another house that wasn’t Edelgard’s. They both may have been the Black Eagle’s professors, but Byleth had been the one to develop an unhealthy devotion to the class leader.

“The Blue Lions,” Byleth managed to get out. “We chose the Blue Lion house, led by Dimitri.”

“I will take the Golden Deer house then,” Manuela announced. “The kids in that house all seem extra lively this year.”

“And I will do my best to educate the young minds in the Black Eagle house,” Hanneman said. 

Rhea nodded once. “All I ask is that you guide these open minds with virtue, care, and sincerity.”

“They are all promising youths who bear the weight of Fódlan’s future upon their shoulders,” Seteth added on. “I hope you two appreciate what an honor it is to lead them.”

Someone walked out of the side office and headed straight for Seteth. Byleth stared at Flayn and felt a twinge of relief. She had managed to save Flayn, a good deed to prove to Bilet that she was willing to work with him to fix the future.

“Brother?” Flynn called. She paused when she noticed everyone else in the room. “Oh! I am so sincerely sorry! I did not mean to interrupt!”

“I am in the middle of something, Flayn. Is it urgent?” Seteth asked.

“No, no, it’s nothing,” Flayn said, shaking her head. “More importantly though, who are they?” She asked, staring at Bilet and Byleth.

“They are our newest professors here at the academy,” Seteth explained.

“Oh my! New additions to the Officers Academy!” Flayn exclaimed. “I am so very pleased to meet you, professors! I am Seteth’s little sister, Flayn,” she said, bowing quickly. “I am so happy to make your acquaintance!” 

“We’re happy to meet you too, Flayn,” Bilet said. Byleth nodded her head in agreement and tried to contain the smile that threatened to sneak onto her face.

“Let us focus on the topic at hand. There is something you should be aware of,” Seteth said, trying to get them back on track. “In a few days’ time, there will be a mock battle between the three houses, intended to gauge the current progress of the students. We will be using this battle as an opportunity to ascertain your own abilities as well. Please do not disappoint the archbishop. That is all.”

The Cathedral bells echoed across the monastery and Rhea smiled at the four professors. “It sounds like class is in session. Go and greet your new students, and give them a blessed start to the new school year.”

The four professors nodded at Rhea’s request before all leaving to introduce themselves to their new class. Bilet and Byleth hung back a bit while Hanneman and Manuela led the way, going back and forth over weekend lecture ideas.

“How much are you willing to bet the students are going to think we’re new students?” Bilet joked, nudging Byleth’s arm.

“If we beat them to the classroom, we can sit at a desk and wait for them to all come in before introducing ourselves if you really wanna throw them off,” Byleth laughed. They had accidentally done something similar back when they taught the Black Eagles.

“We should probably have some excuses prepared in case one of us panics during a lesson,” Bilet said, keeping his voice down.

“I know,” Byleth sighed. “I don’t think my shy excuse will cut it.”

“We could just say we’ve both witnessed some traumatizing things in our line of work, and explain that we might have adverse reactions to certain things out of nowhere,” Bilet suggested.

“We?” Byleth asked.

“Yeah, I… I’m not sure how I’ll react when I see them training against other students, or fighting in mock battles,” Bilet sighed. “I can’t get the image of Edelgard killing Dimitri out of my head most nights. I don’t know what I’ll do if they face each other in the mock battle.”

Byleth nodded in agreement and placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort him. She panicked the moment she saw the students yesterday, and they had just been training with each other. She hadn’t even thought about the mock battles to come, even though Seteth mentioned one earlier.

The two of them turned to walk into the Blue Lions classroom only to find every student already accounted for. They were all huddled together in a group, sharing a hushed conversation. None of them noticed the two professors walking in. Byleth wanted to introduce herself right away, she wanted to get to know her new class, but she could feel her throat tightening in fear. If she tried to speak now, she was certain her voice would crack and she would either freeze, flee, or cry. None of those seemed like a good option for a first introduction, so instead she opted to walk around the side of the classroom and head over to the chalkboard at the front of the room. She picked up the piece of chalk and began writing both her name and her brother’s name up top. That seemed like a good professor thing to do. The sound of her writing caught the attention of the students, who all halted their conversation to turn and face her. Thankfully, Bilet had followed her up to the front of the classroom and moved to stand in front of their desk.

“Wait, we have two professors?” Annette asked, speaking up first. “But you guys look the same age as the rest of us- oh, I’m so sorry!” She yelped. “I’ll watch my tongue, I didn’t mean any disrespect!”

“We don’t mind if you want to treat us as friends,” Bilet said, trying to reassure the young mage. “My name is Bilet Eisner, and this is my twin sister, Byleth Eisner. We’ll be co-teaching your class this year, as per Lady Rhea’s request.”

“We are more than happy that the both of you are going to be educating us this year, but I’ll admit, treating you two like friends doesn’t sit well with me,” Dimitri said. “After all, we wish to show you due respect.”

“Sure, but if the professor says it’s okay, shouldn’t that be enough?” Sylvain asked. “That is, if Your Highness can consent to such a thing. After all, we’re already speaking casually around you, despite you being our future king and all,” he chuckled, elbowing Dimitri’s arm. “We may as well relax our speech with our professors too, am I right?”

“Well, we’re not in the Kingdom, so it only goes to follow that we should all speak companionably,” Dimitri tried to explain. He sighed and shook his head. “I concede. If our professors say it’s fine, we ought to accept that kindness gratefully.”

“No pressure, of course,” Bilet added. “If you want to keep a certain level of formality with us, that’s fine too. Just know we don’t expect or require you to. Like Annette said, we’re all around the same age, so I know it must feel weird seeing us try to act like your supervisors.”

“How do you know my name?” Annette asked. “I never introduced myself.”

Bilet blinked. It had only been a few minutes and he had already managed to slip up. Byleth shot him a look and tried to quickly come up with a response to cover her brother’s ass.

“We had the archbishop go over everyone in the class with us,” Byleth lied, keeping her voice surprisingly level. She wished Bilet would just use Divine Pulse to go back and adjust his sentence to not say the poor girl’s name, but he was always stubborn about only using it for emergencies. “We asked her to describe you all so we wouldn’t spend days trying to learn everyone’s name.”

They all seemed to buy that explanation thankfully. Byleth let out a small sigh of relief and leaned back against the chalkboard, careful to not smudge what she wrote. 

“I’m not sure if I can manage being so informal with you two,” Ingrid admitted, going back to the topic of formality.

“You don’t have to force yourself if it’s too difficult,” Mercedes reassured her. Unlike Rhea’s voice that sounded sweet in an attempt to sugarcoat the rage she held within, Mercedes’ voice had a naturally caring sort of gentleness to it. Being one of the oldest students at the academy, it made sense to see her take on more of a motherly role to the rest of her peers.

“Professor Byleth, was it?” Sylvain asked. “Your benevolence is a sight to behold! I don’t suppose you would care to join me for tea?”

_“We ought to raise a glass to the occasion. Celebrate your return.”_

Byleth shook her head and shut her eyes. She wanted to run out of the classroom, but she forced herself to stay put. If she wanted to stop Her maj- stop _Edelgard_ , she couldn't keep running away everytime she was reminded of the atrocities she committed in the past.

“Control yourself, Sylvain,” Felix snapped, slapping his friend on the back of his head. “There’s more important matters to be discussed with our new professors.”

“Ow!” Sylvain whined, rubbing the back of his head. “Like what?”

Felix turned to the twins, a serious look set in his eyes. “Come to the training ground later. There, you will show me what the two of you are capable of.”

Bilet and Byleth didn’t need to speak out loud to know what the other was thinking: Felix was the Blue Lion’s Caspar.

“Count me in for any such battle,” Dimitri said, sounding excited at the opportunity to spar with the mercenaries who helped save him the other day.

Felix just grunted while Ashe waved, trying to get one of the professor’s attention. “Pardon me, but I would also love to observe you in battle, for future reference. If that’s okay with you…”

“Ashe, you shouldn’t speak of merely watching. You should join us as well,” Dimitri invited.

“Your Highness, do take care not to go overboard,” Dedue requested.

“You worry too much, Dedue. I’ll be fine, I promise,” Dimitri said.

_“I can’t die just yet…”_

“What do you think, professors?” Dimitri asked. “I know we’re a lively bunch, but you’ll find none who work harder!”

“I’m sure you all will cause your fair share of trouble,” Bilet chuckled. “The two of us though are very much looking forward to the year ahead.”

“Wait, so are we going to the training grounds today?” Ingrid asked.

“In a bit. Why don’t you all take a seat so we can discuss what your guys’ goals are for this year,” Bilet said, gesturing to the empty tables. Everyone went to go find a seat, Felix looking annoyed that their duel was going to have to wait.

Byleth went ahead and wrote down each student’s name on the chalkboard, leaving room underneath for notes. They were going to use the first class to assess their strengths for the mock battles. Once they got past that, they would be able to establish where everyone was skills wise, and work on sharpening up their weaknesses. In the off chance they were unsuccessful at stopping Edelgard ahead of time, their students had to be ready to go up against the Adrestian Empire. No pressure.

“Dimitri, why don’t you start by sharing what you think your two biggest strengths are out on the battlefield,” Bilet said, nodding at the prince.

Dimitri stood up at his seat. “I would say I’ve had the most experience and feel the most confident using swords and lances.” 

Byleth went ahead and noted Dimitri’s answers under his name. The sword answer was interesting to her. Most lance fighters would pair that skill with a mount, such as a wyvern or a horse. She made a mental note to assess his riding abilities later on.

Everyone went around and named two things they felt confident in. Both Ingrid and Sylvain said lances and calvary. Mercedes and Annette both listed off offensive magic, but Mercedes also mentioned healing magic. Annette, Dedue, and Ashe all had axes as one of their strengths, while Felix was the only person to put down swords with Dimitri. He and Ashe were also the only ones to mention archery. Dedue was the only one who felt confident fighting in full armor.

“Now that you’ve gone around and learned of our strengths, why don’t you two share yours?” Felix asked.

“We’re both sword fighters, but I also have an affinity for healing magic,” Bilet answered. He was curious to hear what Byleth had to say as her second strength though. He only ever saw her on the battlefield wielding the Sword of the Creator during the war. 

“Swords and offensive magic are my strong suits,” Byleth said, not turning around from the chalkboard. She was still writing everything down, plus if she just kept her focus on the board, she wouldn’t have to risk looking at the students and having anymore flashbacks. She wanted to try and stay in the classroom for the full time on the first day.

“Excuse me, but may I ask why you wrote all of this on the chalkboard?” Mercedes asked, raising her hand. “I feel like any student walking by from other houses would be able to use this information to their advantage in the mock battle.”

“Exactly,” Byleth nodded.

“It’s also for your benefit too,” Bilet said. “Now you guys can clearly see who would be the ideal sparring partners if you want to hone your skills, and who would be good peers to go to for advice if you’re lacking in an area.”

“I’d suggest writing all of this down,” Byleth added. She set down the chalk and went over to the desk, hoping to find some parchment and an ink quill. “Like Mercedes said, there’s a mock battle coming up in a few days. That’s not a lot of time to prepare.”

“Professor Byleth, what did you mean by ‘exactly’ in response to Mercedes’ question?” Ingrid asked.

“If the other students know how to counter your attacks, that’ll be good motivation for you all to work harder to overcome their advantage against you,” Byleth explained.

“Why not just go the extra mile and give a copy of our strengths and weaknesses to the other classes while you’re at it, instead of just leaving it on the chalkboard for them to walk by?” Felix scoffed.

Bilet smiled. “Good idea, Felix. While I make copies of this for the other professors, I’m going to partner you all up so you can head over to the training grounds. Dimitri and Felix, I want you two working on your sword skills. Annette and Mercedes, help each other out with your offensive magic spells. Ashe and Dedue, you two can spar with axes, and Ingrid and Sylvain, lances.”

“And hands to yourself, Sylvain,” Byleth added, finally finding the parchment.

“What are you talking about, professor? I’m always a gentleman.”

“We saw Ingrid punch you in the nose yesterday, Sylvain,” Bilet deadpanned. “We don’t need any of you guys getting injured before the mock battle. We’ll be by in a bit to give you further instruction, but you all should go head over to the training grounds now and get warmed up.”

Their students all stood up and made their way out of the classroom, only sounding slightly annoyed by some of the groupings. Byleth found a quill and ink and set everything up so she could copy down what she wrote on the chalkboard.

“I can stay behind and take notes if you wanna go watch them and make sure no one gets a little too into their training,” Bilet offered.

Byleth frowned. “I’d rather not have a repeat of yesterday.”

“Yesterday you weren’t expecting to see them all at once. Now that the initial shock is gone, theoretically, you shouldn’t have any reactions as bad as yesterday,” Bilet said. “And if you do, we have our story picked out. Just come and find me if you run out for whatever reason, and I’ll go take over.”

“What if they want to spar with me?” Byleth asked, biting her lip.

“Tell them no.”

“Tell our new Caspar no to a fight?” she chuckled.

“Be careful not to call him that,” Bilet smirked. “Glad we were both thinking that though. Now get going. I already did most of the talking today. It’s your turn to go play professor.”

Byleth rolled her eyes, but turned to leave as requested. For a moment, she was concerned that just walking to the training grounds alone would trigger an unpleasant memory, but to her surprise, all of the nostalgia she felt was peaceful. She remembered always assigning Linhardt and Bernadette extra tasks on the weekend to make up for the fact that they would skip endurance training. By the end of the year, all of the plots of grass were completely weed free thanks to the two of them.

“Professor Byleth!”

Byleth stopped. It was supposed to be an easy task, just walk from the classroom to the training grounds. She wasn’t even her professor this time around, so why did Edelgard feel the need to approach her all of a sudden?

She took a deep breath and turned around slowly. Edelgard had caught up to her with Hubert following closely behind. If she was Edelgard’s guard dog during the war, Hubert was Edelgard’s shadow, only leaving her side when Her Majesty requested it. Seeing the two of them back in their academy uniforms was a strange sight, but Byleth decided to focus on that detail to get her through whatever conversation Edelgard was wanting to have. She just had to remind herself that they were students at the moment.

“I heard about the upcoming mock battle. I trust you’re eager to face the Black Eagles in battle,” Edelgard said. 

Byleth nodded her head stiffly. The idea of fighting against Her Maj- against _Edelgard_ was terrifying, but it was a better alternative than fighting alongside her again.

Edelgard smiled and flipped her hair out of her way. “Well, enjoy the thrill of anticipation while it lasts. Soon you’ll wish you had chosen to lead our house instead.”

“Maybe,” Byleth said, nodding again in panic. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to go find my class.” Without waiting for either of them to respond, Byleth spun around and began speed walking towards the training grounds.

Her first opportunity to deny Edelgard outright all on her own, and she still said _maybe_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading. Once again happy holidays, and I’ll see you all next Friday 💙


	5. Each Peaceful Day

The weekend before the mock battle was a free day for both the students and professors. No extra credit seminars, no required training or assignments, just some time to relax before the first test of the students’ abilities. Garreg Mach Monastery had a bulletin board system set up back during Bilet’s first time teaching where students and faculty would post notes, asking for help with certain tasks. It was a good way to bond and meet people you normally wouldn’t interact with. It encouraged students and professors from other classes to get to know everyone at the academy, not just their own class.

Bilet had made it a habit back originally to check the bulletin board every weekend he was free. Keeping that tradition going, he headed over to the bulletin board posted near the dorm room and began skimming through the three flyers posted. Flayn was asking for a fishing partner to help prepare for the Saint Cethleann celebration, Dedue was looking for help planting vegetables in the greenhouse, and the note from Sylvain just said he was looking for a dining partner, preferably female.

Byleth snuck up behind her brother to see what had been posted as well. “Anything interesting?”

Bilet didn’t even flinch, to her disappointment. “And here I thought you were going to pull a Bernadette and not leave your room until I dragged you out, kicking and screaming,” Bilet chuckled. “Flayn, Dedue, or Sylvain?”

“Flayn might be my safest option,” Byleth said after a moment. “Since I actually helped save her instead of… well, you know...:”

“Well then, I’ll hand you this,” Bilet hummed, taking down Flayn’s note and giving it to his sister. “And I will go help Dedue in the greenhouse. Then if Sylvain’s note is still up, we can join him in the dining hall together.”

“Divide and conquer. I like it,” Byleth grinned.

“You would like the idea of conquering,” Bilet muttered, half teasing. His sister shot him a glare and he just smiled back. “Too soon?”

“Go have fun playing in dirt, Let,” she scoffed. “The cats here shit in the greenhouse sometimes, so be careful you don’t accidentally plant vegetables in feces.” 

“I hear that gives them extra flavor.”

Byleth gagged and turned to leave. As glad as she was to be back with her brother, she did not miss his constant teasing. Well, it wasn’t always constant, but the more they had opened up to their students back originally, the more they had opened up to each other, which led to Bilet’s constant teasing and Byleth’s supposedly hilarious reactions. 

Ever since running into Edelgard the other day, Byleth had taken extra care of how she navigated around the monastery. She made sure to move fast enough to avoid conversation with wandering students or faculty, but not too fast as to draw attention to herself. It was a fine line she had to walk. Thankfully, Flayn was sitting on the steps just by the pond, so Byleth didn’t have to look too hard to find her. She walked over to the green haired girl and held up the note from the bulletin board.

“Still looking for a fishing partner?” Byleth asked.

“Oh, hello there, Professor!” Flayn greeted. She stood up and dusted off the skirt of her uniform. “My apologies, I call you professor, but in all honesty, I am afraid I am not a student here myself.”

“You’re more than welcome to call me Byleth if you prefer,” Byleth offered. “If you don’t mind me asking, why are you here if you don’t attend the Officers Academy? Do you work for Rhea too?”

For the short time Byleth had Flayn in her class, she noticed that Seteth’s sister kept a lot of secrets. Back then, she never thought to push for answers, since she was more concerned over whatever it was Rhea was hiding. 

“The monastery is kind enough to provide a sanctuary for my brother and I,” Flynn explained. “He is the only family I have left.”

Byleth knew before that Seteth was the last of Flayn’s family, but knowing how close the brother-sister duo was made Byleth’s heartache. There had been a time where she and Bilet had been close as well, but she had ruined that when she betrayed him down in the Holy Tomb. She longed for him to trust her again like he used to, but she knew it would take time. Quite possibly, a lot of time.

“Family is important,” Byleth nodded. “It’s very kind for the monastery to house you and your brother.”

“Yes, I am very grateful,” Flayn said. “Now, you mentioned fishing?”

“Oh, right!” Byleth said, pocketing the note. “Come on, those fish aren’t going to catch themselves!”

**********

Bilet didn’t have to wander far to find Dedue chatting with Dimitri near the student dorms. The last image of Dedue that existed in Bilet’s memory was of him as a giant beast, similar to the form Sylvain’s brother took during a student-led mission oh so long ago. Seeing him human again, and alive again, was refreshing. He had seen him in the classroom the other day, but there had been so many things on Bilet’s mind that he hadn’t gotten the chance to fully appreciate the second chance he had been given with these students. Bilet shoved the beastly image to the far back of his mind and headed over to speak to the two.

Dimitri caught sight of him first and smiled. “Hello, Professor! What brings you by?”

“Hello, Dimitri, Dedue,” Bilet greeted. “I’m here because I saw your request on the bulletin board, Dedue. Something about needing help in the greenhouse?”

Dedue nodded. “That is correct.”

“Well I’m here to help,” Bilet smiled. He remembered seeing Dedue in the greenhouse quite often back in his original timeline, but the two of them rarely spoke back then. “Please, don’t let me interrupt your conversation though. I just wanted to let you know I’m available to help whenever you’re ready.”

“We were just talking about the mock battle,” Dimitri said. “Do not worry, Professor, we will not neglect our training! I trust that you and professor Byleth will carefully study our strengths and weaknesses so that you may provide effective guidance as well.”

“Of course,” Bilet nodded. “Regardless of the results though, this battle will be a great learning experience for everyone.”

Originally, the Black Eagles had won the first mock battle, but Bilet had no way of knowing if that was due to his and Byleth’s influence or not. He didn’t want to give his class any false hope in case the Black Eagles were just destined to win this fight, but at the same time he wanted to encourage everyone to give it their all. 

“Even so, what is the point of competition if the aim isn’t to win?” Dimitri asked.

Bilet chuckled. “You’ve got a point there.”

“Well, do not let me keep you from completing your task in the greenhouse,” Dimitri said, patting Dedue on the back. “I will be in the dining hall when you are done. Feel free to join me after you’ve worked up an appetite.”

“Your Highness, we can wait until it is a more convenient time for you,” Dedue offered.

“I think I will survive a little while on my own, friend,” Dimitri laughed. He headed towards the dining hall, waving goodbye to the pair. Dedue watched him walk away, not paying Bilet any mind.

“I’m sorry if you didn’t actually want my help,” Bilet apologized. It felt weird being strangers again. During his time as a professor the first time, Bilet had gotten to know many of the other students outside of his class. While he and Dedue were never super close, they definitely were on better terms than they were currently.

“His Highness has said that he trusts you, and I have no cause for doubt,” Dedue said. “However, if you mistreat him in any way, I will take action.”

That was no empty threat. Bilet had witnessed Dedue willingly take on the form of a demonic beast during the war in order to keep Dimitri safe.

“Don’t worry, I have no intention of mistreating Dimitri,” Bilet reassured him. After all, he was here to save the future king.

“Good.”

Bilet waited to see if Dedue had anything else to add, but he remained silent. Bilet coughed and rocked back and forth on his feet, unsure of what to say next. 

“So…” he trailed off. “About those vegetables…”

“Ah, yes,” Dedue nodded. “There is a dish I am hoping to make when it is my turn to help with the meal prep, but I need a certain vegetable in order to do so. I have the seeds with me, I just hung up that flyer in case someone else wanted an opportunity to do some gardening.”

They began heading towards the greenhouse. Dedue handed over a packet of seeds to Bilet. “I’m going to be honest, I haven’t done any gardening in awhile,” Bilet admitted.

“That’s odd. I wouldn’t take you as someone who has done any gardening at all.”

“I could say the same about you.”

“I suppose you are right.”

To Bilet’s surprise, they weren’t alone when they got to the greenhouse. Ashe was already there, tending to the flowers. He looked over when he heard the pair enter and smiled.

“Hello, Professor! Dedue! Did you come to look at the flowers too?” He asked, setting down his watering can.

“Actually, we came here to plant some vegetables,” Bilet said.

The lady Bilet always saw tending to the greenhouse had walked over to Dedue to discuss the type of vegetables he wanted to plant. Probably going over the best place for the to grow, proper watering habits, and sunlight needs if Bilet had to guess. 

“That’s nice. I’m not the best at gardening,” Ashe admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

“Did you come here to get better at it?” Bilet asked.

Ashe shook his head. “I’m actually here to look at the rare flowers and learn more about the herbs grown here. I offered to water the plants in exchange for information.”

“Compared to me, you seem well informed on the subject. I couldn’t tell you if a flower was rare or not,” Bilet chuckled.

“My adoptive father is the real expert. He taught me everything I know about herbs. He even showed me how to tell them apart and make medicine, although I must admit, I’m not that great at the making medicine part,” Ashe admitted. “My skills are more aligned with cooking.”

Hearing Ashe mention his adoptive father sent Bilet back. Not to the war, but to one of the early missions his class had been sent on. During that mission, they had been forced to kill Lord Lonato, Ashe’s adoptive father. Thankfully, that mission would most likely go back to the Black Eagle house. Lady Rhea wouldn’t send the Blue Lions, knowing Ashe would have to go along and potentially fight his adoptive father, or watch him get killed. 

“You two are welcome to use the empty plot over there,” the greenhouse lady said, pulling Bilet out of his head. She pointed over to a spot over in the corner for Bilet and Dedue to use.

“That sounds like my cue to go get my hands dirty,” Bilet chuckled. “Wish me luck.”

“Best of luck to you, Professor,” Ashe said. He picked up his watering can and began tending to the flowers again while Bilet went over to help Dedue dig small holes for the seeds to go in.

Dedue was one who seemed to prefer working quietly, so Bilet refrained from attempting any small talk. He expected the silence to feel awkward, but it was actually rather relaxing. Once they finished planting the seeds, the greenhouse lady came over to examine their work. She smiled and waved her hand over the dirt, her palm glowing ever so slightly.

“Helps them grow a little faster if you infuse the crops with a bit of magic,” she told them.

Bilet watched her cultivate the seeds and came to a sudden realization. “Excuse me, ma’am? I don’t think I ever caught your name.”

“You never gave me yours either,” she chuckled. “Call me Merla.”

“Bilet. I’d offer to shake your hand, but mine are covered in dirt at the moment,” Bilet said.

Merla reached out and shook his hand anyway, laughing at him. “Son, if I was worried about getting a little bit of dirt on my hands, I would’ve picked a different career path!”

Bilet just laughed, not expecting Merla’s energy. Before, he had hardly spoken to the kind woman when he taught the Black Eagles, or during the war. He was glad to have this chance to properly meet her this time around. Bilet waved goodbye and left the greenhouse with Dedue at his side. The pair went over to the pond right away to wash the dirt off of their hands. Unlike Merla, Bilet was not a fan of his hands being caked with soil.

“I should find His Highness,” Dedue said once they were finished. “Thank you for your help.”

“No need to thank me. I doubt I was much help honestly,” Bilet said.

“It’s true, I could’ve completed the task on my own, but it is nice to know you are willing to aid your students when they request it,” Dedue said, a small smile on his face. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Bilet watched Dedue head towards the dining hall before looking around outside. Over on the dock he could see Byleth and Flayn, a small basket of fish between them. He was pleased to see his sister spending time with other students confidentiality. Well, Flayn wasn’t technically a student yet, but both twins knew that was only for now. She’d join their class eventually. 

Bilet walked over to join them, watching his footing on the dock. He didn’t want a repeat of his first time at Garreg Mach and wind up in the pond again. That was an embarrassing moment a few of the Black Eagles, mainly Caspar, held over him for several weeks. Bilet peered into the basket that sat next to his sister. There were only two fish in there, but the pair seemed to be enjoying themselves.

“What kind of fish did you catch?” Bilet asked.

“Oh, hello there, Professor Bilet!” Flayn greeted. “We have managed to catch some carassius. They are fairly common in Fódlan, but they are also quite tasty!”

“They are also connect to Saint Cethleann, correct?” Bilet asked. He already knew the answer, but name dropping the saint and a fact or two about her would win him some quick points in Flayn’s book.

“Why yes, that is true,” Flayn nodded.

“Are you two going to be much longer?” Bilet asked. “I was hoping to steal my sister away so we could have lunch together, but if you two are having fun, I don’t want to interrupt.”

“Oh no, I believe we have acquired enough fish for now,” Flayn said. She stood up from her seat on the dock and picked up the basket. “I will go deliver these to the head chef to be prepared for an upcoming meal. Thank you again, Professor Byleth!”

Byleth nodded as Flayn hurried away, making sure to return her fishing pole to the man who watched over the pond.

“Did you know the greenhouse lady’s name is Merla?” Bilet asked, helping his sister up from her spot.

“Did you know the guy who hands out the fishing rods’ name is Adam?”

“Why did we never ask them for their names before?”

“I don’t know, but I’m curious to know the head chef’s name now too,” Byleth said.

“We can ask him when we go meet up with Sylvain for lunch,” Bilet offered. “Assuming he hasn’t already found someone to dine with.”

“Knowing him, he’s asked a dozen or so girls to join him already,” Byleth sighed. She returned her fishing rod and the twins headed towards the dining hall together. Sure enough, once inside they spotted the redhead noble, or more specifically, the redhead noble from the Blue Lions house standing off to the side trying to convince Annette and Mercedes to eat with him.

“Sylvain,” Bilet greeted, going over to the group of students. “We saw your note about needing a dining partner. We figured this would be a good chance to discuss the upcoming mock battle.”

Byleth noticed how relieved Annette and Mercedes looked now that they weren’t alone to deal with the noble’s constant flirting.

“You two are welcome to join us as well,” Bilet offered. “What’s on the menu today?”

“Saghert and cream,” Annette sighed longingly. “It’s a baked confection with Noa fruit. It’s so good! Well, not as good as Mercie’s homemade sweets, but it’s up there!”

“You’re too kind,” Mercedes giggled.

“You bake?” Byleth asked, forcing herself to contribute something to the conversation. 

Mercedes nodded. “I like to bake in my spare time. Maybe I can bake something for the both of you sometime, professors.”

“Homemade sweets from the lovely Mercedes is a wonderful thing that should not be taken lightly,” Sylvain said, shooting Mercedes a smile.

“You only say that because she’s never offered to bake you anything,” Annette scoffed, rolling her eyes.

“Maybe I can bake something for the whole class,” Mercedes offered, trying to keep the peace between her peers.

“That would be very kind of you, Mercedes,” Bilet said. “Now come on, who’s hungry?”

The five of them all got in line to get their lunch. While saghert and cream was the special for the day, it was not the main dish. They were all given bowls of fish stew with chunks of onion and turnip in them as well. The three students all turned up their noses at the sight of the stew, but the twins ate theirs without complaint. During the war, neither side could afford to be picky when it came to receiving rations. At least the stew they had now was hot.

“Tell us a bit about yourselves,” Bilet said in between bites. “Did any of you attend another educational facility before coming to the Officers Academy?”

“I attended a school of magic in the Kingdom capital before coming here,” Mercedes said. “That’s where I met Annie! Oh, and one of the boys from the Golden Deer house attended that same school. His name is Lorenz, in case you were wondering.”

Annette nodded and paused on eating her saghert and cream. “Like Mercie said, I attended a school of magic before enrolling at the Officers Academy.”

“You mentioned in class that you were familiar with axes. May I ask where you learned to fight with axes if you went to a school for magic?” Bilet asked.

Annette frowned and stared at her dessert. “My uh, my father taught me a bit before he left. And I just kept practicing in case he ever came back.”

_“Help me, Father…”_

_“Annette!”_

Byleth pushed her bowl back and stood up quickly, quietly excusing herself before hurrying out of the dining hall. The three Blue Lions students watched her as she left, clearly confused over what just happened. Bilet sighed and put his spoon down. He figured one of them would have a reaction in front of their students at some point. In retrospect, having Byleth share a meal with two people she had killed during the war wasn’t the smartest move on Bilet’s part.

“Is Professor Byleth okay?” Mercedes asked after a moment of awkward silence.

“She’ll be fine,” Bilet reassured her. “She’s just… it’s difficult to explain. We’ve both experienced some pretty horrific things in our line of work before coming here. Certain things might trigger different reactions from us unexpectedly.”

“Was it something I said?” Annette asked, suddenly worried that she was the reason her professor ran out.

Bilet shook his head. “No, it’s nothing you can or should blame yourself for. Like I said, she’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time she’s suddenly left the room to go be alone, and I highly doubt it’ll be the last. My guess is the food reminded her of something we ate before a close encounter or something like that,” Bilet said, trying to come up with a believable story on the spot to keep Annette from feeling guilty. 

“Is that why she’s so quiet?” Sylvain asked. “I noticed she let you do most of the talking during class the other day.”

That was two people now to point out Byleth’s reluctance to speak. Bilet would need to help her with that so people would stop being suspicious. “Yeah, she takes a while to warm up to new people. That’s part of the reason she’s a little extra jumpy right now too.”

“Is there anything we can do to make her feel more at ease?” Mercedes asked.

“The best thing to do is just act like everything is normal when she’s doing okay, and give her some space when she runs out like that,” Bilet explained. “You can always come and find me though if you’re concerned about her.”

In actuality, the best thing they could do to put both professors minds at ease would be surviving past the war they feared was inevitable, but that was a conversation Bilet would unfortunately have to save for another day, most likely five years in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year everyone! Thank you for reading and I’ll see you guys next week for the first mock battle!


	6. Silver Shines

“Ah, it’s finally time for the mock battle,” Dimitri sighed. Everyone involved in the mock battle was supposed to meet at the front of the monastery so they could all travel to the battle location together. It was a safety precaution to keep the students safe in case any bandits happened to be wandering around. So far though, Dimitri was the only student from the Blue Lions house present. “I am eager to put my skills to use. Are the two of you excited as well, professors?”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Bilet nodded.

“I hope we can pull off a win,” Byleth said.

“I hope so as well,” Dimitri agreed. “I have high expectations for your command, but I have no doubt it will still take everything we’ve got to pull off a victory. Our opponents may be mighty, but I am positive we can win!”

More students began making their way towards their small group, but to the Eisner twins’ surprise, they weren’t from the Blue Lion house. Instead, both Claude and Edelgard came over, looking curious as to what was being discussed. Byleth tried to stop herself from dropping her gaze in front of the princess, instead focusing her attention on the archer at Edelgard’s side. Byleth didn’t have any knee-jerk reactions when dealing with Claude thankfully. 

“Hey there! Did we miss our invite to this strategy meeting?” Claude asked, nudging Dimitri’s arm with his elbow in a playful manner. “No worries, we’ll join in now. Better late than never!”

“Nice try, Claude, but I do not intend to let slip our strategies,” Dimitri said, smiling at the young noble’s antics. “Especially when we’re up against such strong opponents as yourselves.”

“Was the list of our students’ strengths that we gave to your professors the other day not enough information for you all to come up with a counter solution against us?” Bilet teased. He wanted to keep the air friendly in an attempt to keep his sister at ease. He didn’t want to have to cover for her again so soon, and in front of Edelgard of all people. 

“Such kind words from his kingliness,” Claude said, smiling cheekily before turning to the Blue Lions’ professors. “As for clever schemes, we don’t intend on disappointing you all. Right, Princess?”

“Right,” Edelgard nodded. “No matter the tactics you devise, or the strengths you wield, we will destroy you.”

Byleth clenched her fists at her sides in an attempt to keep herself focused. She didn’t want to flinch and bring attention to herself. There was no doubt in her mind that Edelgard currently dreamed of literally destroying the two nobles before her, as well as anyone who dared to stand in her way. Before, with Byleth’s help, her dream almost came true. Not again.

“There’s nothing wrong with a friendly rivalry, but let’s not get carried away,” Dimitri chuckled. “A rash attitude like that could be your undoing, after all.”

_“Why did you choose to walk down this savage, bloody path?”_

“Perhaps your time would be better spent preparing instead of worrying about the competition’s mindset,” Edelgard hummed.

Edelgard’s words stuck out in Byleth’s mind. Would they be better off just preparing for Edelgard’s war instead of attempting to change her mind?

“If you two are getting this fired up before the battle even begins, it’ll just make it that much easier for my class to sweep up a win. So please, carry on,” Claude said, stepping back as to not block the other house leaders from each other.

“Claude makes a good point for once,” Dimitri said.

“Thank you- hey, what do you mean for once?” Claude asked, feigning hurt.

“Let’s vow to make this a productive battle experience for all, shall we?” Dimitri continued, ignoring Claude’s theatrics.

“We don’t intend to lose though,” Bilet added. While he had his doubts before, Bilet hoped that their new class could pull off a win. He wanted to prove to Byleth that Edelgard was still just a student at the Officers Academy. She wasn’t the murderous Emperor that his sister served under during the war yet.

“In that case, I won’t hold back,” Edelgard declared in response.

However, Bilet could see how she would later come to be that murderous Emperor cloaked in red.

“Aw, how precious,” Manuela gushed as she and Hanneman walked over to join in on the conversation. “Looks like you all have become fast friends.”

“I’m afraid we’ve come to steal you two away for the faculty strategy meeting,” Hanneman said to the twin professors.

“Ah, how time flies when you’re having fun,” Claude sighed. “I’ll see you all later on the battlefield. Looking forward to seeing what you all are capable of.” He left with a wink and smile, going off to find his fellow Golden Deer students.

“I too am looking forward to assessing your abilities,” Edelgard said, bowing slightly to the Blue Lions’ professors. Her eyes seemed to drift over to Byleth as she rose with a smile. “I hope you don’t disappoint.”

_“You are just another failure.”_

**********

The professor strategy meeting was nothing more than them going over the rules once again and drawing sticks for which class would take what starting positions on the field. The Blue Lions ended up being at the back center of the field, while the Golden Deer were to their left, and the Black Eagles on their right. To keep things from getting too overwhelming, only four students per class would be allowed to take part in the battle. The rest would be off to the side, watching from the nearby hill and taking notes. 

“To give us the best chance of winning, while also offering valuable experience to a few of you who have not had many opportunities to test your skills in such a way, Professor Byleth and I accessed everyone’s skill levels these last few days and came up with a plan to bring two of the strongest fighters, and two students we felt could benefit from this experience.”

A good portion of them groaned at the news that they couldn’t all participate. Byleth felt guilty not bringing certain students along, but she already had their plan written up. It would be difficult to change it last minute.

“Our decision on who to bring with us in no way means any of you are lacking, or that you’re bad at what you do,” Bilet continued. “This is just the first practice battle. We had to make some tough cuts, but remember, we’re here to teach you, but we’re also here to win.”

“Dimitri, Dedue, Ashe, and Mercedes, you four will be joining Professor Bilet on the battlefield,” Byleth read off of her list. “Felix, Sylvain, Ingrid, and Annette, you all will be with me off to the side.”

“How is that fair?” Felix snapped, clearly annoyed that he wasn’t picked.

“One sword fighter, one lance user, one axe fighter, one archer, and one spell castor,” Byleth explained.

“It’s a balanced set up,” Bilet nodded. “There will be more mock battles to come, but our decision for today is final. Byleth will hand out chalkboard placards to anyone who wants to take physical notes on moves or strategies used today.”

“Annette, would you mind taking notes for me?” Ashe asked. He seemed nervous at the idea of having to fight, but Byleth wanted to take the time now to push him in a controlled environment.

“Of course!” Annette said. “Professor Byleth, may I please have some chalk?”

Byleth handed out the placards and chalk and ushered her half of the class off to the side, well out of the way of the fighting. She offered a quick “Good luck you guys,” to the other half of the class before taking her leave as well.

“The battle is about to begin,” Dimitri said, turning to face Bilet. “Our victory depends on your leadership. Don’t let us down, and in return, we will give it our all and try to live up to your expectations of us!”

Captain Jeralt walked out to the center of the field and clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention. “As you all know, the house with the last student or professor standing will be declared the winner! I will be overseeing this mock battle. If you are hit three times by an opponent, forced to surrender, or seriously injured, you’re out! There are other knights planted that will be helping me keep you all honest. If you attack one of them, or a student not in battle, you are out! Any questions?” 

After a moment of silence, Jeralt clapped his hands again. “Alright then! Best of luck to you all! Let the battle begin!”

“Dimitri, I’m going to have you cover the right while I’ll take the left,” Bilet said, immediately barking out orders. “Dedue, cover Dimitri, and Ashe, trail them at a distance to cover from afar. Mercedes, stay close behind me so we can watch each other’s backs.”

Before Bilet could move, Lorenz came charging out of the trees right for him. The noble stabbed his lance forward, but his movements were awkward and slow, making it easy for Bilet to dodge. Bilet countered, whacking Lorenz on arm with his practice sword.

“Are you making light of our new professor, Lorenz?” Bilet heard Claude ask from somewhere nearby. “If you drop your guard, you’re going to get hurt.”

Bilet looked around, but he couldn’t see where the archer was hiding. Lorenz backed away to regroup with the rest of the Golden Deer, not looking to get hit a second time.

“Stay close to me,” Bilet told Mercedes, keeping his voice down.

A flash of light appeared off to the right and Bilet silently prayed that none of his students got hit. All of the mages were instructed to use only ten percent of their spell’s strength, but if anyone got too into the battle and forgot…

Since Lorenz retreated, Bilet felt confident looking over to see what was happening with Dimitri’s ground. It had been Byleth’s idea to send the extra person with Dimitri to help ensure the prince’s safety. The only thing Bilet had changed was sending them after the Black Eagles instead of the Golden Deer. He’d apologize to his sister later about switching up her strategy, but Bilet needed to prove something to her, and this was the best opportunity for that. Bilet watched as Ashe distracted Dorothea by shooting an arrow near her, giving Dimitri the chance to emerge from the bushes and trip the mage with his lance. Once Dorothea was on the ground, Dimitri pointed the tip of his lance to her throat, forcing her to raise her hands in surrender. A Knight of Seiros went over to escort her off of the battlefield. Bilet grinned, proud to see Dimitri using tactics from their actual fight against the bandits.

The Black Eagles were down one student. With Dorothea out of the way, Dimitri began looking for more opponents. Bilet could hear someone approaching him and Mercedes, most likely Lorenz again. Dimitri must have noticed too, because he said something to Dedue that Bilet couldn’t quite hear that resulted in Dedue charging right for the location in front of Bilet, practice axe in hand. Lorenz came out from the trees again, lance raised, ready to take Dedue head on. Lorenz had the advantage when it came to reach, resulting in him landing a hit on Dedue’s side just before Dedue managed to hit the nobleman in the arm. While Lorenz’s back was turned, Bilet ran up and delivered the final hit necessary to his back.

“I’ve lost? Unthinkable!” Lorenz scoffed as a Knight of Seiros came over to escort him off the field.

“Well done, Teach!” Bilet heard Claude congratulate. “I may have to take this seriously after all!”

“Mercedes, stay back!” Bilet ordered, not liking the fact that he still couldn’t see where Claude was hiding. As soon as the words left his mouth, a practice arrow hit him right in the back. Bilet spun around, expecting to find Claude smirking in premature victory. Instead, he found a nervous looking Ignatz, gripping his bow tightly.

Thinking fast, Bilet ran in to get a hit on Ignatz before he could notch another arrow. Dimitri came in from the right out of nowhere and swung his lance down, knocking Ignatz’s bow out of his hands. Mercedes and Dedue stepped forward, axe and offensive spell ready to go in case Ignatz decided to make a move to recover his weapon. Ignatz surveyed the situation before slowly raising his hands in surrender.

“You must be quite the commander to get everyone to rally together like this,” Ignatz complimented, smiling at Bilet. He couldn’t tell if Ignatz was smiling in admiration of his skills, or appreciation for getting removed from the battlefield.

The Golden Deer were now down two. 

“Who all has been hit?” Bilet asked, trying to figure out how they were doing.

“I’ve been hit once, Professor,” Dimitri said. “Dorothea caught me off guard.”

“Lorenz got a hit on me as well,” Dedue said.

“The three of us are all at one hit then,” Bilet muttered. Even though the other two classes were down students already, Bilet would need to tighten up their defensives if he wanted to keep the two strongest students in the fight, while also giving Mercedes and Ashe much needed battle experience. 

Ashe came over to regroup and Bilet debated on what to do next. Byleth’s original plan had Bilet and Mercedes taking down the Black Eagles, with Bilet doing most of the grunt work while Mercedes covered him from behind, while Dimitri led Dedue and Ashe over to take out the Golden Deer. While Bilet felt confident in his sister’s abilities to come up with a solid battle strategy, now that they were actually on the field, he didn’t feel confident splitting them up again. Theoretically, they could go over and overwhelm the last of the Golden Deer house, but they would risk losing someone in that skirmish. Right now, their best bet would be taking down the rest of the Black Eagles while they still had everyone in the fight.

“Everyone, we’re going right,” Bilet decided. “We need to defeat the Black Eagles while we still have all five of us on the battlefield.”  
“Where would you like us, Professor?” Dimitri asked.

“Ashe, I want you to take cover over by those trees and snipe anyone who comes by,” Bilet instructed. “Dimitri, I want you watching Ashe’s back in case anyone from the Golden Deer house tries a sneak attack. Dedue and Mercedes, you’re with me,” Bilet said. “We’re going to take down Edelgard and Professor Hanneman.”

Everyone nodded and went to go take their positions. While Bilet, Dedue, and Mercedes began their approach, a flash of purple went flying straight for the trees. Bilet heard Ashe cry out in pain before he saw Hubert’s smug smirk from across the field.

“Pity, I was aiming for His Highness,” Hubert hummed.

In a flash of blue, Dimitri came running out from the trees. Before he got the Hubert, he spun on the ball of his foot, brought his arms up, and swung down hard. His lance made contact with Hubert’s shoulder. Dimitri had perfectly copied the move Byleth had used against the bandits after only seeing it done once.

The dark mage howled in pain and dropped to a knee, gripping his hurt shoulder. He glared up at Dimitri, debating on whether or not to attack in his current state, but Edelgard’ voice rang out from across the clearing.

“Hubert, if you’re injured, retreat!” She demanded. “You will get your chance another time!”

“Suppose I’ll have to call it a day,” he frowned, not willing to argue with Edelgard. He stood up and allowed a Knight of Seiros to escort him off the field.

As he was being led away, the Adrestian Princess herself came over, staring directly at the prince that took out her loyal servant. Bilet found himself frozen in place, unable to tear his eyes away from the all too familiar scene before him. He wanted to run up and take on Edelgard himself, to protect Dimitri from the fall of her axe. He had seen the King die too many times already.

“Dimitri, it’s time! We can finally settle the question of who’s stronger!” Edelgard challenged, pointing her axe towards him.

_“If you were a normal human, you would most certainly have died already.”_

“Very well. I accept your challenge,” Dimitri said, readying his lance. “With you as my opponent, I won’t hold anything back!”

_“You… I will kill you!”_

With Dimitri’s acceptance, Edelgard charged in and swung her axe hard and fast, aiming for Dimitri’s right arm. Miraculously, the prince managed to dodge and stab his lance lance forward, hitting Edelgard right in her side. She grunted in pain and jumped back, out of range of Dimitri’s reach.

While the two house leaders dueled, Ferdinand ran up to take on the three of them at once. He managed to get a hit on Dedue, but the red headed noble, specifically the red headed noble who wasn’t Sylvain, was overwhelmed quickly, taking a hit from Bilet, Dedue, and Mercedes in quick succession. Bilet couldn’t help but question if Hanneman was doing much to instruct his students on the battlefield. He knew the mage was more of a scholar than a fighter, but he still should’ve stopped Ferdinand from making such a reckless move.

As Ferdiand was escorted off of the field, Bilet turned to watch the rest of Dimitri and Edelgard’s duel. Dimitri managed to land a second hit on Edelgard before dodging another one of her attacks. Moving fast, Dimitri clashed his lance against her axe before twisting his own weapon, successfully disarming the imperial princess. He pointed the tip of his lance to her throat, and Edelegard glared at him, clearly upset by her loss.

“Forced to retreat,” she sighed. “Just know that things will only get tougher from here on out. You won’t get so lucky next time.”

Bilet watched in awe as Edelgard was escorted off of the field. They had successfully managed to defeat all of the Black Eagle students without losing a single Blue Lion. Dimitri faced off against Edelgard and won. Bilet hoped Byleth had been watching.

Bilet debated going up against Professor Hanneman right away before going to take on the rest of the Golden Deer, but he wasn’t given the option. Before he could call out any commands, an arrow came flying out from the other side of the trees, hitting Ashe right on the back. The Blue Lion’s archer spun around and fired back, but Claude managed to get out of the way just in time, a cocky grin plastered on his face. Hilda came running out from behind Claude and chucked one of her hand axes right at Ashe, getting him his third hit, taking out their class’ archer.

As Ashe left the field, Bilet ran the odds in his head. Three Golden Deer and Professor Hanneman left them at 4-v-4, assuming Hanneman decided to work with Manuela’s class against the Blue Lions.

Dimitri turned around to face off against the other house leader. Despite Claude announcing earlier that he was going to take this battle seriously, he seemed very relaxed, twirling a training arrow around his fingers.

“Psst, Your Princeliness,” he whispered loudly. “You’ve got a thing for Edelgard, don’t you?”

That comment seemed to throw Dimitri off. “What?”

“Come on, if you fess up, you’ll feel much better,” Claude said with a wink.

“Claude, please, this is no time for idle banter,” Dimitri sighed. “Your defenses are wide open!”

Bilet noticed Claude’s strategy too late. While the archer kept Dimitri distracted, Hilda took aim and threw a second hand axe. Before Bilet could shout out a warning, Dimitri spun out of the way of the axe, moving him closer towards Claude, striking the archer with his lance mid-dodge.

“I did tell you your defenses were wide open,” Dimitri smirked.

“Dedue, go take care of Hilda. Mercedes, back him up,” Bilet ordered. Dedue nodded and ran over to engage with the other axe user on the battlefield, with Mercedes closely behind him.

Striking fast, Dimitri got in a second hit on Claude while Dedue and Hilda were facing off. Mercedes managed to get a hit on her with a fire spell, singeing the hair on Hilda’s arm. While Hilda whined about the fire, Dedue managed to knock her last axe out of her hands, leaving her defenseless.

“Was that really necessary?” Hilda pouted. She raised her hands up and a knight came over to escort her. “Good luck, Claude!” She cheered as she walked off.

Bilet watched as Claude tried to notch an arrow, but Dimitri had moved in too close for him to counter, and managed to land his final hit on Claude. The archer groaned in frustration, lowering his bow and putting the arrow he had grabbed back into his quiver.

“I hate losing. Guess I’ll just have to cheer with the others on the sidelines.”

“There’s only the professors left to challenge us,” Dimitri said. “Are you hoping Professor Manuela can pull off a win for you on her own?”

“Never said who I’d be cheering for,” Claude smirked before taking his leave, not bothering to wait for a knight to come and get him.

Out of nowhere, a spell went flying, hitting Dedue right in the chest. He knelt over in pain, dropping his axe as he fell.

“Dedue!” Bilet called out. Even at only ten percent strength, both Hanneman and Manuela’s attacks would still hit pretty hard, especially since most of the students hadn’t yet built up any resistance.

Dedue groaned, wincing as he tried to get back on his feet. “My apologies, Your Highness.”

“Go rest, Dedue,” Dimitri said. “We’ll finish up here.”

All that remained to take on the other professors were Dimitri, Mercedes, and Bilet. Bilet looked over at Dimitri before quickly moving his gaze over towards Hanneman. Thankfully, Dimitri understood what Bilet was trying to communicate. He nodded back before going after Hanneman, the one who struck down Dedue. Dimitri repeated the trick he had learned from watching Byleth and swung his lance down hard on the older professor’s shoulder. His lance snapped upon impact, and for a moment Bilet worried that he had seriously injured the older man, but Hanneman made no move to wave down a knight. Instead, he tried to use a spell against Dimitri, but at that close of a range, Dimitri was able to realize what Hanneman was doing and dodge out of the way.

Mercedes managed to land a fire spell on Hanneman’s coat, and while he attempted to smother the tiny flame, Dimitri picked up one of Hilda’s discarded axes and threw it at the distracted professor. Three hits, and Hanneman was out.

“My goodness, it’s clear that you all have been studying under capable professors with actual battle experience,” Hanneman chuckled. “I was as good as useless!”

“Hey, you didn’t compliment me like that when my class won last year!” Manuela shouted as Hanneman was escorted off the battlefield. In the middle of her shouting, she fired off a spell that managed to hit Dimitri, knocking him off his feet. He only had one hit left before he was out.

Mercedes ran over to help Dimitri up while Bilet stared down Manuela. Mercedes tried another fire spell, but Manuela was able to dodge it effortlessly. While she was distracted though, Bilet ran over and got a hit on his fellow professor. She managed to counter though, knocking Bilet back with one of her spells. That was hit two on him now.

Manuela backed up and fired another spell in Dimitri’s direction, hoping to eliminate him from the battle. Something snapped in Bilet and he charged towards Manuela, swinging his sword down on her extended arm hard. Part of him knew that he wasn’t supposed to seriously injure her, but something in the back of his mind whispered to him, telling him to stop holding back. If he held back, Dimitri would die, Edelgard would win the war, and everything he did would be for naught.

Manuela yelped in pain and pulled her arm in close. She didn’t notice the fire spell from Mercedes headed straight towards her. The fire singed the sleeve of the Golden Deer professor’s coat, and she sighed. “Well done. I nearly wound up a patient in my own infirmary.”

Bilet blinked at the sight of a Knight of Seiros coming over to escort Manuela off the battlefield. This was just a mock battle. No one died. For a moment, Dimitri, Mercedes, and Bilet all just stared at each other.

“That’s it!” Bilet heard his father shout. “The winner of this mock battle is… the Blue Lion house!”

The rest of the Blue Lions ran over, cheering in celebration. Annette tackled Mercedes in a hug while Sylvain threw his arm around Dimitri’s shoulders and shook him in excitement. Bilet looked around for Byleth and smiled in relief when he noticed she hadn’t run out. He debated if he should hug her or not, but Dimitri spoke up, getting everyone’s attention.

“This victory is the result of everyone’s hard work. Thank you, my friends. You did well,” he said, bowing his head in gratitude. “I was thinking we could all share a meal together when we get back to the monastery. It could serve as both a victory celebration and a post-battle analysis.”

“Are we invited?” Byleth asked. Bilet noticed she was actually looking at Dimitri when she spoke.

“Of course! Why wouldn’t you be?”

“Come now, Professor Byleth! We can’t very well celebrate without the keys to our victory present!” Sylvain said. “Between your strategy and Professor Bilet’s skill and command on the battlefield, it’s obvious you two were the MVP’s of today.”

“Oh, so you did pay attention during the battle, huh?” Ingrid asked. “Where are your notes from it, Sylvain?”

“All right up here,” he said, tapping the side of his head.

“Compared with that boar who knows nothing save for frontal attacks, I’d say your tactics were nearly decent,” Felix said, both complementing Byleth while also insulting someone else. Both twins silently wondered where the nickname ‘boar’ came from, and who exactly he was referring to.

“Felix, you really ought to stop picking fights with His Highness!” Ingrid snapped.

Bilet blinked in surprise while Byleth’s eyes went wide. Felix had directed his boar comment at the prince himself.

Dimitri shook his head. “Don’t worry, Ingrid. I encourage all to speak freely. I must agree that the professor’s tactics were truly extraordinary. I still have much to learn, it seems.”

“Today was exhausting,” Mercedes sighed. “I’m so hungry I can barely stand.”

“So am I,” Ashe agreed. “Let’s all head over to the dining hall together.”

The rest of the students began making their way back towards the monastery. Bilet and Byleth hung back a bit, only to find Dimitri waiting for them. He looked back and forth between the two of them and frowned.

“I’m sorry to intrude professors, but…” he trailed off. “You don’t exactly look happy for having just won.”

“You’re mistaken,” Bilet said. He hoped Dimitri would pay less attention to the subtleties in their actions, but he wasn’t surprised by his observations. In actuality, all of the house leaders had a bad habit of noticing things about the twins that they shouldn’t.

“You say that, but your eyes tell a different story,” Dimitri said. “I know we only just met a little while ago, so this may be difficult for you, but I’d love nothing more than for the two of you to join us in the dining hall and share our happiness with you. Joy can be so fleeting, after all.”

Bilet nodded with Byleth just stared at the young prince. There was a darkness in his eyes, even as he spoke of celebration and joy. She realized then that she barely knew anything regarding the man who was so determined to hunt down Emperor Edelgard during the war. She had just assumed that his obsession with killing her came from his hatred of the war, but now she was wondering if there was something more that she was missing.

“I’m sorry if our facial expressions don’t line up with how we feel,” Bilet apologized. “We weren’t called the Ashen Demons for nothing.”

“The Ashen Demons?” Dimitri asked.

“It’s nothing,” Byleth answered quickly. “Just a nickname we earned as mercenaries. We’ll meet back at the monastery in a bit, I just have to discuss some things about today with my brother first.”

Dimitri stared at them for a moment longer before nodding once and leaving to go join the rest of his class at the monastery.

“He’s perceptive,” Bilet said once the prince was out of earshot.

“Unfortunately,” Byleth sighed.

“You’re not happy about the win?” Bilet asked.

“I’m happy that they won. It proved that we influenced the Black Eagles enough originally for them to win. Now our influence is directed towards the Blue Lions.”

“Yeah, and that’s a good thing, especially if Edelgard goes through with her plan,” Bilet said. “So why the blank stare?”

Byleth bit her lip and stared at the ground. It was becoming a bad habit of hers, constantly looking down to avoid seeing shit she didn’t want to see.

“I… I was just wondering if Edelgard only got as far as she did because I went with her,” Byleth whispered. “If Dimitri only died because I fought on the side that was against him.”

“Well, I guess we’ll find out,” Bilet sighed. He wasn’t going to lie just to comfort her. It was possible that Edelgard only got so close to success due to Byleth’s contribution. “The good news is we now know Dimitri can handle himself against Edelgard. He lost during our first mock battle, remember?”

Byleth nodded, smiling fondly at that day. Edelgard had decided to challenge Dimitri almost immediately once the battle started. She bested him easily, and also managed to give Claude a run for his money before Ferdinand took him out. Watching Edelgard take command of the fight and lead her class to victory, that was the first time Byleth ever felt proud of someone.

She looked up and stared at Garreg Mach, that familiar sense of pride slowly returning as she realized Dimitri had not only beaten Edelgard, but he had also one-upped her by taking down Claude on his own as well.

Maybe, just maybe, they had a shot to make things right this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And there’s the first mock battle! I’m going to be honest, I’m more used to writing 1-v-1 action scenes, so this chapter was a bit of a challenge. I’m going to call it good practice though and move on. Be back next week with another chapter! Thank you again for reading 💙


	7. Cross My Heart

“Your work with the students was remarkable!” Rhea praised. “I can see that Jeralt has trained the both of you well. I hope you were able to use the occasion to bond with your new students.”

“We did,” Bilet nodded. “It was impressive seeing all of them in action. The Golden Deer and Black Eagles included.”

Rhea smiled warmly, the majority of her focus clearly on Byleth’s more talkative and cooperative brother. “I am very pleased to hear it.”

“Of course, the mock battle was merely practice,” Seteth said, jumping in on the conversation. “The real battle will take place during the Wyvern Moon. We call it the Battle of the Eagle and Lion.”

_“Dimitri, that past you cling to… I will soon free you from it.”_

Byleth didn’t realize what Edelgard meant when she heard her mutter those words just before their battle against Dimitri and the Knights of Seiros. The fight didn’t take place at Gronder Fields, but with the amount of former Blue Lions students on the field against Edelgard and her supporters, it felt like a rematch of the Battle of the Eagle and Lion to Byleth. If she had just paid more attention to the truth behind Edelgard’s words, she could’ve possibly saved Dimitri that day. If she had just listened to her brother and chosen right the first time-

“I’ve called you here today to talk about your mission this month,” Rhea said, pulling Byleth out of her thoughts. “Your class is to dispose of some bandits causing trouble nearby.”

That mission sounded oddly familiar. “Bandits?” Byleth asked.

“Those affiliated with Garreg Mach Monastery have a moral obligation to help those in need, regardless of social standing. Students are no exception to this rule,” Seteth explained. “Each month, every house is granted a mission that must be completed before the following moon. You are to work alongside your students and report back to the archbishop when your mission is complete. Understood?” He asked, eyeing each of the twins.

“Can we have some more information regarding these bandits?” Byleth asked. She knew that the Black Eagle house was tasked with removing bandits originally, but she was confused as to why the Blue Lions were given this mission this time around. Perhaps it had something to do with whoever won the mock battle?

“I’ll provide you with more details later on. I suspect if I told you now, you’d only forget, and then I’d have to repeat myself,” Seteth sighed. “And I despise repeating myself.”

“So you expect us to lead students that have little to no real battle experience against bandits that won’t hold back against children?” Byleth asked. Originally, when the Black Eagles were given this mission, neither Bilet or Byleth saw anything wrong with it. Both of them had been raised as mercenaries from a young age, and fighting and killing was all part of the job. Some of their students though didn’t seem to share their mindset though when it came to fighting bandits.

_“Is making us experience a real battle part of the church’s teachings?”_

“You will have the Knights of Seiros accompany you as backup should you need it,” Seteth reassured her. “We assumed two seasoned mercenaries would be enough to handle a few bandits, with the added help of your students, but if it becomes too much for you to handle, you will be offered assistance.”

Byleth fought the urge to tell Seteth off for acting so casually over sending literal children to battle for the church this early into their schooling. Yes, the Officers Academy was designed to prepare students for knighthood and battle, but it had been less than a month so far. She held her tongue though and kept her expression blank. 

“I can sense something special about you two,” Rhea said fondly. “I have high hopes for the both of you. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must prepare for my next meeting.”

Rhea and Seteth both took their leave and Byleth started to walk out immediately, not wanting to linger in the audience chambers more than necessary. Bilet bowed his head to Rhea before hurrying to catch up with his sister, frowning at her hastiness.

“Why are you in such a rush to get away from Lady Rhea?” Bilet asked, careful to keep his voice down.

“I still don’t trust her,” Bilet said, matching his volume. “Did you forget that she can turn into a dragon? That’s a pretty big secret! Not to mention how hush-hush she is regarding our past. I mean, she knew us as babies, yet she won’t talk about it! Why?”

“Did you forget that I fought on her side during the war?” Bilet asked. “I have a better understanding of the situation than you do.”

“Mind filling me in then?”

Bilet shook his head. “I’m sorry, By, but until you’re taken off of my list, I won’t speak for Lady Rhea. The information I learned during the war cannot fall into the wrong hands.”

Neither one of them needed to say the name out loud to know who’s hands Bilet was referring to.

“ _You two keep blabbering on about the past when you have your current future to worry about now,_ ” Sothis said suddenly to both of them. “ _You’re about to go up against the bandits you fought just a few days ago!_ ”

“Oh that’s right,” Byleth muttered. “I forgot they were the same guys.”

“ _I won’t always be around to remind you of little details your frail human minds seem to let slip through the cracks,_ ” Sothis scowled. “ _You’d best work on your memory recall if you plan on using the knowledge you gained during the war to benefit you when it comes back around!_ ”

“You think we’ll have to fight the Empire again?” Bilet asked, sounding more nervous than he looked, which wasn't much, but it was enough for Byleth to notice.

“ _You know better than anyone that the flow of time can be cruel, and that certain things are just destined to happen, no matter how many resets you try,_ ” Sothis said. She sounded a lot more motherly than Byleth was used to hearing.

“Guess we should go tell our class about the mission,” Bilet sighed. 

“Shouldn’t we wait for Seteth to give us more information?” Byleth asked.

“Don’t worry, I remember the battle well enough. Just stop me from going too in depth, okay? We don’t want to sound too suspicious in front of the students,” Bilet chuckled.

The twin professors walked into the Blue Lion classroom and smiled at the sight of everyone already there. Perfect attendance was a rare thing in the Black Eagle house, so seeing everyone ready to go was a new and welcoming sight.

“Take a seat everyone! We have information regarding our mission this month,” Bilet said as he and Byleth made their way to the front of the classroom. Byleth took her stance in front of the chalkboard and began writing down everything she could remember about the mission.

Once everyone was seated, Bilet began with his explanation. “Our mission this month is to deal with some bandits that are disrupting nearby citizens. Rumor has it, these are the same bandits Professor Byleth and I chased out a little over a week ago, with the help of the three house leaders at the academy. While Dimitri was present during that battle, the rest of you, as far as we know, are lacking in practical experience. The mock battle was a controlled event put on by the academy. These bandits won’t go easy on you just because your students.”

“Wait, we’re expected to take on dangerous bandits all on our own?” Ashe asked, his eyes wide in fear. 

Bilet shook his head. “The Knights of Seiros will be accompanying us in case we require backup, but you will also have the two of us guiding and fighting alongside you,” he said, gesturing to his sister.

“When are we going?” Annette asked.

“Sometime before the end of the month,” Bilet answered. “The knights will tell us when they’re ready to escort us to the location where the bandits are hiding out.”

“You must be prepared for anything,” Byleth added. She took a deep breath and turned to face the class. “For most of you, this will be your first true battle.”

Dimitri smiled and stood up at his seat. “I, for one, am looking forward to fighting alongside you both once again. Between Professor Byleth’s strategy and Professor Bilet’s command, and both of their skills with a blade, I am confident we will prevail!”

“Thank you, Dimitri,” Bilet nodded. The prince took his seat and Byleth flipped the chalkboard over to the other side and began writing everyone’s name again, leaving room for notes to be added underneath.

“We have this time now to prepare,” Bilet continued. “So, let’s talk about weaknesses. We all have one! Felix, you can start us off.”

**********

Both of the Eisner twins knew that the odds of them being able to save their father this time around was highly unlikely. It was something they had discussed when they first jumped far back in time. In their attempt to save him originally, they ended up watching him die twice. While that horrible situation was still months away, Bilet and Byleth wanted to make it a point to take the time they had gotten back and use it to simply appreciate their father more. They had decided to join him for lunch in his office after their class let out for the afternoon. Jeralt seemed confused at first when Bilet first suggested it, but he was pleased that his kids finally seemed capable of showing that they cared.

“You both seem to be doing well,” their dad said in between bites of his sandwich. “How’s life at the monastery treating ya? You two adjusting well?”

“Yeah, I think so,” Bilet nodded.

“Oh?” Their dad hummed. “Didn’t expect that answer. I thought being thrown into a swarm of noble brats would be too much for you both. Neither of you liked being around or interacting with other people before, unless we were doing a job.” Jerlat shrugged and took another bite of his lunch. “Guess I had nothing to worry about after all.” 

“We’re actually taking said brats out on a mission sometime this month,” Byleth said. She allowed herself to smile at the nickname her dad gave the students, and for the first time since going back in time, Byleth didn’t worry about slipping up. Her dad grinned at the sight of her smiling. If expressing emotions made her dad happy, then she was going to emote.

“Don’t forget that this will be the first real taste of battle for most of them,” their dad reminded them. “I know bandits are fairly routine for the two of you, but they’re still learning the basics of combat. Stay vigilant. It’ll be tougher to sleep at night if you let one of your pupils die on your watch.”

_“Father… mother… I’m sorry I didn’t listen to you.”_

_“It hurts… help me, father…”_

_“So, this is how it ends… forgive me, Your Majesty…”_

Byleth jumped in her seat as Bilet’s foot stomped down on her’s. She yelped in pain and was about to verbally go off on him for attacking her out of nowhere, but the look in Bilet’s eyes silenced her before she could even get a word out. He was getting better at noticing when Byleth would zone out, overwhelmed by memories of their past. She hadn’t even noticed herself that that’s what had been happening. She reminded herself to thank him later for pulling her out of her mind.

“What was that about?” Their dad asked.

“Nothing,” Byleth denied.

“There was a spider,” Bilet lied.

Their dad eyed the two of them and frowned. “Is there something I should be concerned about?”

Byleth shook her head. “No, I was just thinking about what you said. I hadn’t considered the possibility of one of them dying.”

Jeralt sighed and set his food down. “I wish I could offer you my support, but Lady Rhea won’t allow it.”

“Sounds about right,” Byleth chuckled humorlessly.

“I don’t mind you two settling and getting used to life here, but don’t let your guard down,” their dad warned, taking a second to look at each twin carefully. “Ever.”

“Why don’t you trust the church?” Byleth asked. This was the second time their father warned them about keeping their guard up at Garreg Mach, implying that he knew something Byleth didn’t. She could feel Bilet’s frustrated stare on her, but she didn’t care. She wanted answers, and if Bilet wouldn’t give them to her, maybe their dad would.

“That’s a conversation for another day,” their dad deflected. “Unfortunately, I have some work I have to finish up here, but this was nice. We should do this again sometime soon.”

“Of course,” Bilet nodded. He gathered the empty plates, preparing to return them to the dining hall. “I really enjoyed spending time with you, dad.”

“Me too,” Byleth added.

Their dad looked like he was at a loss for words, but he smiled and crossed his arms, leaning back in his seat. “As did I. Now go run along and teach those brats how to fight properly before you make me all emotional!”

The twins left their father’s office and began making their way back towards the dining hall together.

“Please stop pestering dad for answers,” Bilet whispered as they made their way downstairs. “He’s not going to give you the information that you want.”

“You know he told me to keep an eye on Rhea the first day here, right?” Byleth asked, going on the defensive immediately. “I know you made the better decision between the two of us, but don’t you think your opinion of her is a bit biased?”

“You don’t know the full story,” Bilet sighed.

“Because no one will tell me!” Byleth snapped. “If there weren’t so many secrets being kept from me, it’d be easier to trust her!”

“Why can’t you just trust me when I tell you Lady Rhea isn’t the enemy here?” Bilet asked.

“Why can’t you give me any more information than that?” Byleth pushed.

“I told you I’ll explain everything once I know you won’t side with Edelgard.”

“All of these secrets are why I sided with Edelgard in the first place!”

Bilet’s hold on the plates slipped, causing them to shatter against the floor. Both twins froze, not paying the broken dishware any attention. Byleth’s hand flew to cover her mouth, her eyes wide in shock over what she just said. Thankfully, no one was around to hear what they had been bickering about, but Byleth’s words still made Bilet’s blood run cold. Loyalties don’t suddenly shift overnight, and even though Byleth claimed she had wanted to turn against Edelgard for a while, only a short amount of time had actually passed since she betrayed her Emperor.

“Bilet, I- I didn’t mean-”

“Save it,” Bilet said, cutting her off. He stared at the broken plates, not wanting to look at his sister. “I get that you’re frustrated,” he said slowly. “I get that you’re scared of the unknown. I get that you don’t trust Lady Rhea, okay? I fucking get it. But if you can’t trust me when I say you’re not mentally prepared to know everything… You know what? Forget being mentally prepared. Even if you ready to know, which you’re not, you haven’t earned the right to any of the answers you seek. You don't get to turn your back on the church, turn you back on me for years, and then suddenly act like you deserve things the moment you come back."

Byleth nodded weakly at her brother's words, shifting her gaze downwards. As much as they hurt, she knew she deserved them more than the answers she so desperately wanted. Bilet let out a sigh of frustration before bending down to pick up the broken pieces of pottery. Byleth wanted to make a move to help him, but she was scared that she’d only mess it up further. She hadn’t meant to vent her frustrations like that. The way she said it made it sound like she was once again considering Edelgard’s path, which couldn’t be further from the truth. 

“What should I do?” Byleth asked softly.

“There should be a broom in the back of the dining hall,” Bilet said, gathering all of the pieces. “Go grab it. I don’t want anyone walking by to get hurt.”

Byleth shuffled off to go find the broom and dustpan Bilet requested. She hated the fact that she had to fight to prevent herself from tearing up over the broken plates. Her frustration making it sound like she wanted to go back to Edelgard was bad enough. Now Bilet hated her, not that she could blame him. His tone matched how he spoke to her the few times they met during the war. It made sense that he would shift back to speaking to her like an enemy. She was the one who brought up her betrayal in the first place. She was foolish to think just because they went back in time that they could return to normal. 

Just outside the dining hall, Dimitri spotted Byleth and ran over to greet his professor. She forced herself to keep her expression blank at the sight of her student, not wanting to concern the young prince.

“Professor Byleth, perfect timing!” Dimitri said, grinning excitedly at her. “If you wouldn’t mind, would you be willing to help me with a favor? That is, if you’re not too busy.”

Byleth bit her lip and eyed the door to the dining hall. “I uh, need to get a broom from the kitchen.”

“Is everything alright?” Dimitri asked.

“Yeah, I just dropped some plates,” Byleth said. She didn’t want to worry him over nothing. “If you want to walk with me, you can tell me about this favor.” She hated how weak her voice sounded, but he didn’t seem to notice. Dimitri would offer a good distraction from her thoughts. Plus, she needed to interact more with the Blue Lion students anyway.

“It’s in regards to sword training,” Dimitri said, walking alongside her.

“You need help with your sword skills?” Byleth asked. That request confused her. She had observed Dimitri and Felix’s training session together the other day and thought Dimitri’s ability with a sword was far more advanced than most incoming students.

“No, not for myself. To be honest, I’m going to start teaching swordsmanship to the orphans here at Garreg Mach,” Dimitri explained.

That was unexpected. “How’d that happen?” Byleth asked. She went around behind the food prep counter and began looking for the broom.

“A few of them saw me sparring with a knight the other day and began pestering me to teach them,” Dimitri chuckled. “They were so earnest with their request, I couldn’t help but oblige! Unfortunately, due to my own studies and training, I don’t think I’ll be capable of teaching them everything I wanted to. I hate to ask this of you, but your swordsmanship is unmatched. Would you please consider lending me a hand in teaching them?”

“Oh, I’m not good with kids,” Byleth muttered. That, plus the fact she was struggling enough as is to teach her actual students anything. Instructing literal children sounded like a true nightmare, and Byleth knew a thing or two about nightmares.

“Frankly, I’m not great with children either,” Dimitri admitted, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. “I just didn’t want to let them down.”

Byleth grabbed the broom and hesitated for a moment. On one hand, she didn’t know the first thing about instructing actual children. On the other hand, she owed Dimitri, whether he knew it or not. It was her fault he had been killed during the war, and even if he didn’t know about it, Byleth swore she would spend the rest of her life trying to make it up to everyone she had hurt during that time.

“You can count on me,” she said eventually. She tried to make herself sound more confident about that decision that she felt. Unfortunately, she had no way of telling if it was working or not.

“Thank you, truly. I am in your debt!” Dimitri thanked, bowing slightly.

“No, don’t worry about it,” Byleth said quickly. She grabbed the dustpan and walked back around to the otherside of the counter. “You don’t have to repay me. I want to help.”

Dimitri shook his head as they began to walk out of the dining hall. “No can do, Professor. I always repay my debts.”

“If you’re going to be in my debt, then I cannot offer my assistance.”

“Why are you so against me wanting to repay you for your help?” Dimitri asked.

She stopped walking and frowned. As much as Byleth wanted to explain that it was her fault Dimitri died five years in the future and therefore that meant in her mind that she owed him, she knew that answer wouldn’t be acceptable. “You’re one of my students,” she said eventually. “It’s my job to help you. I cannot allow you to pay me back for doing my job.”

“While you may be a professor at the Officers Academy, it is not your responsibility to teach the orphaned children here,” Dimitri pointed out.

“It’s not your responsibility either,” Byleth countered. “Yet you insist on doing so. Why is that?”

Dimitri frowned, his eyes looking far off, deep in thought. “This may come across a bit arrogant, but I… I feel like it _is_ my responsibility to help them. I lost my parents without warning, much like them.”

Her first time as a professor, Byleth never really got to know the young prince. She knew he was to take the throne after his time at the Officers Academy, and that he had lost his parents, but the details behind all of it were missing. “I’m so sorry,” was all she could think to say. There were questions she had, but Bilet himself told her she hadn’t earned the right to any answers. She felt like that applied to questions about Dimitri’s life as well.

“I’m sure you’ve heard of what happened in Duscur?” Dimitri asked.

“Bits and pieces, yeah,” Byleth nodded. She had heard one side of the story, but it hadn’t been Dimitri’s side.

“It was in Duscur where I lost my father, my stepmother, and some of my closest friends,” Dimitri explained, his gaze dropping to stare at the ground. He crossed his arms over his chest and pondered over his next words. “I uh, didn’t have many allies at the castle after that. In truth, I only had Dedue for companionship for the most part. That’s why I want to help these kids at Garreg Mach. Even if it’s just spending some time with them, I don’t want them to feel like they’re alone in this world.”

“That’s very noble of you,” Byleth said softly. “You said you had Dedue, but was he all?”

“Inside the castle walls, yes, but sometimes Rodrigue would come to visit,” Dimitri said. His eyes seemed to shine a little brighter at the mention of Rodrigue. 

The name felt oddly familiar, but Byleth couldn’t place a face to a memory as to why she felt that way. “Rodrigue?”

“Oh, my apologies, I should refer to him as Lord Rodrigue,” Dimitri chuckled. “He’s Felix’s father, and after I lost my parents, he sort of became like a second father to me. He’s a wonderful man, I’m sure you’d get along splendidly if you two were to meet! I aspire to be like him one day.”

“I’m glad he was there for you when you needed him,” Byleth smiled.

A small smile crept onto Dimitri’s face before he blinked and snapped back to attention in realization. “Please accept my apologies for boring you with my life story!” He said quickly, sounding shocked that he revealed so much during their conversation.

“Don’t apologize,” Byleth said, shaking her head. “I appreciate you opening up to me.”

“In any case, don’t forget your promise to help, Professor,” Dimitri said, choosing to ignore what she said. “I’m counting on you.”  
“Just tell me when you need me and I’ll be there.”

“Would tomorrow after class work for you?” Dimitri asked.

“I’m sure I can convince my brother to finish up my share of the paperwork if I’m needed to help a student,” Byleth chuckled. In actuality, she was going to take on Bilet’s share the next few days in an attempt to apologize for what she said earlier. She’d have to pull some late nights to fit everything into her schedule, but it’s not like Gilbert’s screams let her sleep much anyways.

“Oh, I do not wish to cause problems for Professor Bilet,” Dimitri said.

Byleth waved him off. “It’s no problem at all. Where should we meet after class?”

“I was actually going to ask if you had any recommendations for locations to teach around a dozen children. I think it would be wise to avoid the training grounds, since other students might be practicing there, and we don’t want the children to accidentally get injured or in the way,” Dimitri explained.

“Maybe we can take them out by the pond, or that area just outside the classrooms,” Byleth suggested. “I wouldn’t suggest leaving the monastery grounds with bandits roaming around.”

“The yard outside the classrooms might be best, since there’s grass to cushion them if they fall,” Dimitri muttered, thinking it over.

“That’s true,” Byleth nodded.

“I am looking forward to working with you,” Dimitri smiled. “Professor Byleth, may I request a duel with you? I feel like it would be a good way to both teach the children what proper swordplay looks like, as well as keep them entertained!”

_“I cannot shake this feeling of regret… Regret that I must kill you now.”_

“No,” Byleth said quickly. Dimitri blinked, thrown off guard by her sudden rejection. Byleth shook her head, not meaning to sound so harsh. “Sorry, I mean… I’m not a great sparring partner. I don’t want to accidentally hurt anyone.”

“You underestimate me, Professor,” Dimitri laughed.

Byleth shook her head again. “I’m sorry, but not this time. Maybe eventually, but not right now.”

Dimitri stopped laughing, realizing she was serious. “I see. My apologies, I did not mean to make you uncomfortable with my request.”

“Think nothing of it,” Byleth said, waving him off. “There’s never any harm in asking.”

“In any case, thank you again, Professor. If you’ll excuse me, I’m supposed to meet Ingrid for some additional lance practice,” Dimtri said, bowing his head before taking his leave.

Byleth watched him walk away before remembering she was supposed to meet back up with Bilet. She mentally cursed and hurried to find her brother. He was standing next to a pile of broken pottery, clearly annoyed that she took so long. Byleth dropped her gaze down and began sweeping up the pieces.

“Did you get lost?” Bilet asked.

Byleth shook her head. “No, sorry. I ran into Dimitri, and he asked me for a favor, and we were talking, and I forgot I was supposed to come right back, I’m so sorry,” she said quickly.

“What did he need help with?” Bilet asked.

“He wanted assistance teaching the orphans at Garreg Mach proper swordplay tomorrow after class,” she explained.

“You’re going to teach little kids?”

“He requested my aid,” Byleth said.

“It’s the least you could do for him,” Bilet agreed. 

“I know,” she said. “I’m also taking on your paperwork for the next week.”

“Well I won’t say no to that offer.” Byleth glanced up and noticed the harshness in her brother's gaze had softened ever so slightly. It wasn’t much, but it was a step in the right direction. 

Bilet stood by and watched his sister finish cleaning up the broken plates. He was proud to hear that she managed to get through an entire conversation with Dimitri without any major issues. However, her words from their argument earlier still rang clear in his ears. One successful conversation with Dimitri didn’t prove that she’d make the right choice this time around. As much as he wanted to trust her, Bilet knew he had to be mentally prepared to witness his sister crawl back to her Emperor, like the loyal guard dog she was.


	8. All That Was Lost

Hunting down bandits, while an easy task for the former mercenaries, was still dangerous and potentially deadly, especially when considering most of the students in their class hadn’t had any real battle experience yet. As much as Byleth didn’t want to watch any of the Blue Lions have to fight for their lives, she knew that this was only the first of many battles to come. Fighting and studying to become proper knights, generals, and field medics was why a lot of them enrolled at the Officers Academy to begin with. All of the students knew what they had signed up for, and it was up to Bilet and Byleth to guide them. 

Byleth had promised her brother that she would do his share of the paperwork for a week. Budgeting, lesson plans, battalion hiring, potential strategies for dealing with the bandits- all of that fell onto Byleth. She did volunteer to take it all on in an attempt to make up for crossing the line the other day, but she was starting to feel cramped sitting behind the desk in the Blue Lion’s classroom. Byleth let out a heavy sigh and put down her quill before standing up and stretching. Now felt like a good time to step outside to get some fresh air, and possibly a hot cup of coffee. A quick break before returning to the mountain of paperwork that awaited her.

The bright yellow and blue fabrics of the house leaders’ uniforms caught Byleth’s eye as she entered the small courtyard outside of the three main classrooms. Standing over by the Golden Deer classroom, she spotted Claude and Dimitri engaged in conversation. Seeing the two of them together felt strangely familiar, and for a moment Byleth wondered how differently the war would’ve played out if Claude had decided to side with the Kingdom of Faerghus instead of remaining neutral.

Claude glanced over and smiled, pausing whatever he was saying to Dimitri in order to get Byleth’s attention. “Hey, Teach! Glad to see you didn’t suffocate under all of that paper. What, did you lose a bet to your brother or something?”

Byleth chuckled and walked over to join them. Ever since she managed to get through that conversation with Dimitri the other day, she found herself growing more confident when it came to talking to the students at the academy. “Something like that. How did you know?” She asked.

“I ran into Professor Bilet when class got out. We got to talking, and he let slip that you were stuck doing his share of the workload,” Claude explained.

Dimitri stared at his professor and frowned. “Professor, you told me you had time to help me with my request. You took time out of your day to instruct the orphans after class the other day. I hope you’re not spreading yourself too thin and agreed to offer assistance without taking any time for yourself.”

“I just have a day or two left of doing Bilet’s work, I’ll be fine,” Byleth said, waving off Dimitri’s concerns. She only had a year to accomplish everything she needed to- preparing for Edelgard’s war, training her students as well as earning their trust, earning back Bilet’s trust- she’d have to get used to spreading herself thin if she wanted to get everything that she needed to finish in time. “What were the two of you talking about?”

“Dimitri here was just telling me how your class has been tasked with hunting down bandits,” Claude said, nudging Dimitri’s arm.

The young prince rolled his eyes. “Claude was complaining over his class’ assignment and decided his time would be better spent questioning the details of our mission instead of focusing on his own.”

“Maybe I just wanted an excuse to catch up with you, friend. Not everything I say or do is tied to a scheme or some hidden agenda,” Claude smirked. “But seriously, there’s nothing to focus on regarding my class’ assignment. It’s just a downright peaceful mission. Probably guard duty or something, I don’t remember,” he shrugged.

“Do I need to inform Professor Manuela that her house leader isn’t paying close enough attention during her class?” Byleth asked, crossing her arms and directing her gaze towards Claude.

“You’d be surprised at how much I retain from her lectures, Teach. She just hasn’t gone over the details of our mission yet, so I haven’t bothered to waste any energy caring about it yet,” Claude explained. “You guys on the other hand are going to be fighting alongside the Knights of Seiros. Don’t let the monastery down, you hear?”

“The knights are just there as backup in case we need it,” Byleth clarified.

“I’m just surprised that we have only just arrived at the academy and we’re already being sent out to take care of bandits,” Dimtri said. “It is a noble mission, but it is still a mission that will most likely require battle. In practice, there is very little difference between a battle and a war.”

Byleth understood the point Dimitri was trying to make with that statement, but she could say with absolute certainty that their upcoming fight against the bandits would be nothing compared to any of the battles Byleth fought in during Edelgard’s war to unify Fódlan. 

“Even with the Knights of Seiros, we must brace ourselves for the challenge,” Dimitri finished.

“You guys got this in the bag,” Claude chuckled, folding his hands behind his head. “Plus, you’ve got two incredibly skilled mercenaries fighting alongside you. I mean, you and I both saw your professors take down bandits before. How different could this mission be?”

“Are you underestimating my brother and I, Dimitri?” Byleth asked.

The young prince shook his head. “Never, Professor. My concern lies with those in the Blue Lion house that have never seen real battle before.”

“That is a valid concern to have,” Byleth nodded. “I’m working on a plan for them though, don’t worry.”

“If you need help coming up with any creative schemes, you know where to find me, Teach,” Claude said with a wink.

“I’m sorry, Claude, but who’s battle plan resulted in victory at the mock battle?” Dimitri asked, smirking at the archer.

“I think you’re letting that small victory go to your head,” Claude laughed. “What happened to the humble prince I met on my first day here?”

“On the subject of battle plans, I have to get back to writing down ours,” Byleth said, stepping back a bit. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go find a cup of coffee before I chain myself to my desk for the next few hours.”

They waved goodbye and Byleth left the two house leaders, making her way towards the dining hall. It was later in the afternoon, but Byleth prayed that there was still some left over coffee from the morning rush, or at least some grounds for her to make herself a cup. There was a decent sized line of knights and students trying to get food, but thankfully the lady who was normally in charge of meal prep was off to the side wiping down the counter. Byleth walked up and tried to put on her best, most friendliest smile. The woman just stared at her, a tired look in her eyes.

“Can I help you?”

“I was just wondering if there was any left over coffee or coffee grounds available?” Byleth asked. She felt bad asking since the lady was clearly exhausted, but if she didn’t get any coffee, Byleth was going to end up in the same boat as her.

“I think we still got a bit in the back. It’ll probably be cold though. Not sure if that’s a deal breaker for ya,” she grunted.

“I’ll take whatever you have, thank you,” Byleth said. The woman turned around and headed to the back kitchen. Byleth twiddled her thumbs while she waited patiently off to the side. She never considered herself an anxious person when she first came to Garreg Mach, but in that moment she realized how much she hated standing alone in the dining hall, mentally hoping no one would come up and try to talk to her. It was times like that when she missed being an emotionless mercenary. Just because she was doing better now when it came to engaging with her students didn’t mean she was willing to push her limits yet.

The lady came back out with a large mug and set it down on the counter for Byleth. “It’s cold, but it’s coffee.”

“I can warm it up, thank you so much,” Byleth said, grabbing the mug. “I’m so sorry, I don’t even know your name. I’m Byleth Eisner, and you are?”

“Call me Jan,” the woman said, turning her back to continue wiping down the counters

“Thank you, Jan,” Byleth thanked again before hurrying out of the dining hall. She held her coffee mug with both hands and slowly tried to recall the simple fire spell she first learned years ago. Using the weakest form of the spell she could muster, she used her magic to heat her coffee as she walked. Dimitri and Claude were still talking outside the Golden Deer room, but neither one paid any attention to Byleth as she walked by.

She waited until she was comfortably seated at her desk once again before lifting her mug to take the first sip. The coffee itself was bitter and hot, leaving an unpleasant, burnt aftertaste in Byleth’s mouth. It was difficult to choke down, but she was drinking it more for the effects than the flavor itself.

During the war, before Byleth began questioning her loyalties, the one thing she always looked forward to was a fresh cup of coffee prepared by Hubert himself. He would use beans imported from Dagda, which had such a smooth and rich flavor to them that creamer and sugar were seldom needed. Once Hubert realized Byleth was having some hesitations though in regards to her service to Edelgard, he would still serve her a cup of coffee every day, but she stopped drinking it.

_“Perhaps an odorless, tasteless poison… Lady Edelgard certainly took interest in a difficult one this time.”_

Byleth set her mug down on her desk and stared at the paperwork she still had left to do. Suddenly, coffee no longer sounded appealing to her.

**********

Since Byleth had been so kind as to volunteer to do his share of the paperwork for a week, Bilet often found himself wandering around the monastery talking to students, fishing, or enjoying a nice cup of tea outside. He tried to appear relaxed and approachable, since he knew Byleth’s tense and guarded appearance was off putting to some of the students. He wanted the students at Garreg Mach to trust them both, but until Byleth felt more comfortable being around them again, he’d have to pick up the slack. If he could get the students here to trust him, no matter what house they were affiliated with, then maybe he could convince them to fight together against Edelgard and the Adrestian Empire. The Black Eagle students, save for Hubert, all sided with Bilet and the church before, but the Blue Lions and Golden Deer were a little trickier. They fought against the Empire, but under their respective lords, making it impossible for Bilet to keep them all safe.

Not this time around.

Bilet was outside the dining hall enjoying a cup of ginger tea when he spotted Ferdinand heading his way, his own tea cup in hand. Ferdinand had been one of the students Bilet originally had a difficult time connecting with. It was during the war when the two of them found themselves discussing the hardships that came with fighting against people they cared about. The young noble smiled brightly at him and paused when he reached the table.

“Hello, Professor. Would you mind if I joined you?” Ferdinand asked politely. 

“By all means, please sit,” Bilet said, gesturing to the empty chair across from him. He didn’t want to waste any time rekindling the friendship he had with the red headed noble. “I’m not sure if we’ve ever been formally introduced. My name is Bilet Eisner, son of Jeralt Eiser.” He figured a little extra formality wouldn’t hurt when speaking to Ferdinand.

“I am Ferdinand von Aegir.”

Bilet had to fight the sudden urge to respond with “ _Yes you are._ ” It had been a joke between the two of them during the war. Ferdinand had a habit of introducing himself to nearly every opponent he faced on the battlefield. When Bilet fought alongside him, he would often shout back, “Yes you are!” anytime he heard Ferdinand announce himself.

Unfortunately, they weren’t that close yet. Bilet had to keep a certain distance between them still. There was a strange ache in his chest as he nodded politely and smiled, feigning ignorance. “It’s nice to meet you, Ferdinand. You’re from the Adrestian Empire, right?”

“That is correct,” Ferdinand nodded. “Have you heard of the Aegir family?”

“I believe so, but please refresh me,” Bilet said, leaning back in his seat. He knew the noble loved to talk, so allowing him to speak uninterrupted seemed like the quickest way to get Ferdinand to like him again. 

“We have long held the position of Prime Minister in the Empire,” Ferdinand began to explain. “The Empire’s power lies with six noble families, my family foremost among them. The full explanation may be time-consuming,” he warned before taking a sip of his tea.

“I’ve got no where I need to be any time soon,” Bilet said. “Please, go on.” He picked up his own tea cup and took a drink. He was ready to mentally test himself on how much he remembered from the first time Ferdinand gave him this spiel.

“To start, there’s Count Bergliez. He’s the Minister of Military Affairs. He’s also Caspar’s father, another student from the Black Eagles,” Ferdinand began. “Then there’s Count Hevring, the Minister of Domestic Affairs, and Linhardt’s father.”

“Another Black Eagles student, I presume?” Bilet asked, once again feigning ignorance on the subject.

Ferdinand nodded. “Precisely! Count Varley is the Minister of Religious Affairs. He is also Bernadette’s father, but it is unlikely that you have met her, since she seldom leaves her room. There is also Hubert’s father, Marquis Vestra. He is the Minister of the Imperial Household.”

“He is the student I’ve seen following Edelgard around, right?” 

Ferdinand dropped his smile and took a long drink of his own tea before answering. “Yes, that is him. He acts as her shadow more often than not.”

“Not too fond of him?” Bilet smirked. He knew things between Ferdinand and Hubert were less than friendly back when he taught their class. They could barely stand to sit through a meal together, and that was on a good day. Hubert viewed Ferdinand’s childhood rivalry with Edelgard as a form of disrespect towards the imperial princess, but Bilet’s running theory was the two boys had been butting heads in their academy days over both of them having feelings for said princess. He never got confirmation on that, but that was the theory he was running with until proven otherwise.

“We do not see eye-to-eye on certain things you could say,” Ferdinand said, trying to politely avoid answering the question.

“My apologies for interrupting,” Bilet said. He hadn’t meant to bring the mood down with his slight teasing. “There were two more noble families left I believe?”

The nobleman smiled once again at the reminder of their original discussion topic. “Ah yes, where was I? There is Duke Gerth, the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He does not have a child currently enrolled here at the Officers Academy, in case you were wondering. Lastly, there is my father, Duke Aegir, the Prime Minister. One day, I will take his place as the Prime Minister of the Empire.”

“That sounds like a large responsibility,” Bilet commented.

“I am more talented than anyone in my class. Even Edelgard,” Ferdinand boasted. “That might make it sound like I am full of myself, but my goal is to lead the Empire to a bright and enlightened future. I very well cannot accomplish that if I slack off and let my fellow classmates get ahead of me!”

Even during the war, Ferdinand spoke of wanting to do what he could to salvage the Empire. He had a deep love for his homeland, and Bilet saw how much it had pained him to raise arms against it. Back then, Bilet considered Ferdinand’s goals to be nothing more than wishful thinking. Now that they had this second chance though…

“I am very much looking forward to that,” Bilet smiled softly.

“There is nothing I cannot achieve,” Ferdinand said, sounding confident in himself.

“I believe you,” Bilet chuckled. “It’s a shame you’re not in my sister and mine’s class.”

“Trying to recruit me for the Blue Lions, Professor?” Ferdinand asked, smirking slightly. “Well, I’ll have you know the eldest son of House Aegir is not so easily swayed.”

“I assumed as much,” Bilet said, standing up. He had finished his tea, and as much as he had enjoyed speaking with Ferdinand again, he wanted to wander around the monastery more and see who else he could introduce himself to for a second time. That, and he found he wasn’t fond of the dull ache that came with the realization that Ferdinand no longer knew him as a friend. He knew that going back meant losing the bonds he had forged with everyone over the years, but seeing it happen in front of him was different than just knowing in theory. Bilet was back to being the new professor. A stranger. “It has been wonderful talking to you, Ferdinand. I hope we can do this again sometime.” 

“The pleasure was all mine,” Ferdinand said, bowing his head slightly to the Professor.

Bilet returned his empty tea cup to the dining staff before making his way towards the Cathedral. He hadn’t had much time before to visit, and while he wasn’t big on praying, he found the holy space to be quite peaceful. Hopefully that peace would help settle his thoughts.

The heavy iron gate was raised and the doors to the Cathedral were propped wide open, giving it a more welcoming feel. There were a few Knights of Seiros hanging around outside the Cathedral doors, but they paid Bilet no mind as he walked past them into the building. Right away, he spotted Mercedes and Lorenz up near the front, heads bowed. He knew both of them were devout worshippers, so he decided to head off to the side and walk around, as to not interrupt their prayers. There would be better times to speak to them later.

Off to the side, Seteth and Flayn were engaged in conversation. Seteth had grown to become one of Bilet’s most trusted friends during the war. Every time Bilet saw the green haired man, a sharp pang of guilt struck him. He never said goodbye before going back in time. Not that Seteth would’ve remembered his farewell now, but it was a small piece of selfish closure Bilet never got. He wished he had told Seteth of Byleth’s desire to go back in time to prevent the war, to give his friend an ounce of hope that such a horrible event could be stopped before it even began. At the very least, Bilet wished he had asked him for some advice. The twins weren’t telling anyone about their powers connected to Sothis this time around, but would Seteth have instructed them otherwise if they had consulted him before leaving?

Flayn noticed Bilet and smiled, waving him over excitedly. Seteth glanced over and frowned, his eyes narrowing slightly at the new professor. Bilet hesitated for a moment, unsure if Seteth was glaring because he didn’t trust him, or if he was playing the role of over protective brother and just perceived the situation as a boy coming a little too close to his younger sister. Both answers still could be summed up as a lack of trust, and for a moment, Bilet considered turning back and fleeing the Cathedral just to escape Seteth’s gaze. His lack of trust made sense given the time, but it was still painful to see the person Bilet considered his closest friend look at him in such a manner.

“Hello, Professor,” Flayn greeted as Bilet begrudgingly made his way over to them. “Have you come to offer your prayers to the goddess?”

“Actually, my knowledge of the church is very limited,” Bilet said, thinking up an excuse for being there on the spot. “I was hoping to learn more, and I figured the Cathedral would be a good place to start.”

Just like he spoke about the Empire to get on Ferdinand’s good side, Bilet knew showing a genuine interest in the Church of Seiros would help Seteth warm up to him.

“I’d recommend going over to the chapel dedicated to the Four Saints for starters,” Seteth suggested. “There’s a statue and a placard for each Saint, offering useful information about them. Do you at least know of the Four Saints?”

“There’s Saint Indech, Saint Macuil, Saint Cichol, and Saint Cethleann, right?” Bilet asked. 

Seteth nodded, his glare softening up a bit. “That is correct. You even pronounced Saint Cichol’s name correctly.” He almost sounded impressed.

“Who is your favorite Saint, Professor?” Flayn asked eagerly.

“Is it polite to announce a favorite Saint in such a holy place?” Bilet asked. “Do I have to worry about the other Saints becoming jealous if I don’t pick them?”

Flayn giggled while Seteth just sighed. Bilet knew the correct answer that would get him easy points in both of their books, but at the same time, he just said he didn’t know much about the church. How could he claim to have a favorite Saint when he was forced to pretend that his knowledge did not extend past knowing their names?

“Now that you’re a member of the church, be sure to familiarize yourself with our teaching and traditions,” Seteth said. “That goes for your sister too.”

Based on the stern his tone of voice at the end, Bilet could tell Seteth was not a fan of Byleth. Not that her first impression this time around was the best, with her refusing to give her name willingly to Lady Rhea. He’d have to talk to Byleth and convince her to play nice with Seteth. She already knew that Bilet trusted the man enough to tell him about Divine Pulse, and she already liked Flayn. Hopefully Byleth would agree to at least try and pretend to get along with Seteth, even if she only did so to make Bilet and Flayn happy.

“I’ll make sure to pass the message along to her,” Bilet said. “Would you mind pointing me in the direction of the Four Saints chapel you mentioned?”

Seteth gestured to the room just a little ways behind them and Bilet nodded in thanks before heading over to the chapel. During the war, Bilet often found himself tucked away in the chapel of the Four Saints when he needed time alone. Other people rarely came in, more focused on dedicating their prayers to the goddess herself out in the main cathedral hall.

“ _Why are you coming back here? Your sister sits behind a desk all day, and now you come back to this room to shut yourself away from the rest of the world,_ ” Sothis chided him. 

She wasn’t wrong. Bilet used to hide away for hours when the responsibility and pressure of the war became too much for him to handle. He said nothing though as he made his way over to the statue of Saint Cethleann. He stayed close to the wall, letting his fingers drag along the surface as his feet shuffled across the floor. Once he reached the back wall, he sat down, back pressed against the statue and pulled up close to his chest. Bilet pressed his palms against the cold floor and tilted his head back to rest it against the statue. He closed his eyes and took a deep, shaky breath.

It took everything Bilet had to not break down on the chapel floor. He was back at square one. The war was one of the most horrific things he had lived through, and he would never willingly go back down that path if it was avoidable. He was beyond grateful to have Byleth back in his life, even if they weren’t on the best of terms currently. Seeing old students and friends he watched die during the war get a second chance at life was wonderful. Everything he had currently was exactly what he had hoped for every day the war continued on.

But drinking tea with Ferdinand and listening to him talk as if Bilet was a stranger, and the distrustful look in Seteth’s eyes that hovered between cautious and hateful…

“ _Are you having second thoughts?_ ” Sothis asked, her tone much calmer than before.

“No,” Bilet whispered with zero hesitation. “I think… I guess everything just caught up to me.”

“ _Should I let your sister know what’s going on?_ ” Sothis asked. People used to accuse the twins of being able to read each other’s minds when they first taught at Garreg Mach. They had played along, only because the excuse of twin telepathy seemed easier than explaining that they had a goddess in their heads who was capable of passing messages along between them.

“No, I’ll be fine in a moment,” Bilet muttered. “I just need to get my thoughts in order.”

“ _Would you prefer I stay quiet or continue speaking with you?_ ” Sothis asked.

“Silence please,” Bilet whispered. “I’ve missed your voice, but I can’t focus. I need to focus. If I can just figure out why I’m suddenly so overwhelmed, then I can calm myself down and move on.”

When Byleth saw the Blue Lions that first day back at the monastery, she fled the training grounds and hid in an empty classroom, her mind haunted by images of fire and death. Her guilt crushed her, and Bilet had to work to pull her out and convince her to keep going. After witnessing that, he assumed his own inevitable breakdown would be just as messy. Instead, he found his mental collapse to be quiet, paralyzing him on the floor. His body trembled as the memories flooded in, but he was grateful for the fact that the tears he shed fell silently. 

Instead of seeing the fire Byleth described, Bilet saw rain. He could vividly recall running across the field, tripping once due to the slick mud that made up the battlefield. Someone helped him to his feet, their face obscured due to the heavy rainfall. Once Bilet was back on his feet, he kept running. Dedue’s transformation into a demonic beast made him stop for a moment. That hadn’t been part of the plan they discussed beforehand. He could barely make out Hubert attempting to take down Dedue, with the assistance of the Death Knight. It was impossible to tell who was winning through the rain.

Bilet shook his head and tried to focus on his original goal. He started running once again, but despite the storm, he could still see the bright red garb of the Emperor, and the gleam from her axe as she brought it down on the King of Faerghus’ head.

Without wasting a single second, Bilet activated Divine Pulse. Once he was back far enough, he started moving to protect Dimitri. “ _Just keep running,_ ” was the only thought on Bilet’s mind. If he kept running, if he ran a little faster, maybe he’d make it this time. Maybe he’d be able to protect-

The axe fell and Bilet went back again. And again. And again, and again, and again-

On his final attempt, Bilet had exhausted himself to the point where he only managed to take a few steps before passing out. It had been reckless of him to use Divine Pulse so many times in a row. Seteth ended up carrying him away from the battlefield on the back of his wyvern. Bilet didn’t learn of his failure until he woke up the next day.

The man that had saved his life that day now looked at him with such disdain. They were strangers again.

_“I am, and will always be, your ally.”_

How much longer until that statement rang true again?

**********

Byleth hadn’t meant to stay in the classroom until nightfall. She had been so focused on her work that she lost track of time. She filed away any of the paperwork that she wouldn’t need until their next class, and then organized the rest into two folders: one for the incomplete work that she could do either before bed or later tomorrow morning, and the completed with that she would have to submit tomorrow to the battalion head. A lot of it was similar to what she did back when she taught the Black Eagles, but since all of her students were new to her, it took some time to fill out anything having to do with them. 

How they were going to safely take down those bandits, Byleth had no idea. The mock battle had been stressful enough, watching Dimitri and Edelgard go at it with dulled weapons from the sidelines. With the bandits though, there wouldn’t be a referee to step in if things got too intense. It all fell to Bilet and Byleth to protect their students. Sure, the Knights of Seiros would be there as backup, and Bilet had Divine Pulse at his disposal, but Byleth was just starting to trust herself around the students again. If someone died fighting the bandits, even if Divine Pulse could save them, Byleth couldn’t see herself being of any help. Her record showed her fleeing or collapsing in fear at the mere memory of her students dying, by her hand or otherwise. Actually seeing it in person again…

Byleth shook her head and gathered up her folders. She longed for the time when she could lead her students onto the battlefield and feel nothing. No stress, no anxiety, just her total focus on the fight. All she wanted to do now was crawl into bed and wait for Gilbert to quiet down enough for her to drift off to sleep for a few hours before the nightmares woke her back up. It was a painful process, but Byleth could respect the certainty regarding her sleep schedule. It was one of the few things she could rely on playing out the same way no matter what.

“You’re still here.”

Byleth looked up from the desk and just stared at her brother. Something about him seemed off, but she couldn’t tell what exactly. There was a strange rawness to his voice accompanied with a far off look in his eyes.

“Are you okay?” Byleth asked.

“I’m fine,” Bilet waved off. “Have you taken a break yet?”

“I’m taking one now,” Byleth said, walking towards the door to join him. “Actually, I’m about ready to head in for the night. I’m exhausted.”

Bilet nodded towards the desk. “Forgetting something?”

Byleth turned to see what he was talking about. She spotted the coffee mug on the desk and sighed. “I’ll just take it back tomorrow.”

Bilet stared at the mug for a moment before shrugging and going over to grab it. “I’ll take it back. I’ve got nothing better to do.”

“Thanks, Let.”

He picked up the mug and frowned, surprised to see it was still full. “No wonder you’re so tired. What, was the dining hall’s coffee not up to your standards after sipping on the Empire’s finest brew?”

Byleth winced and for a brief moment, Bilet felt guilty for bringing up his sister’s mistakes during such a mundane conversation. They couldn’t even talk about something as simple as coffee without him mentioning the fact that she fucked up. He felt bad, but he wasn’t willing to take it back. 

“Something like that, you could say,” Byleth muttered. “I’ve got the proper battalions figured out. I’ll turn in those forms tomorrow before class. Goodnight, Bilet.” She hurried away out the door, leaving Bilet alone in the classroom.

“ _You do remember that secrets were her main motivator for turning against the church originally, right?_ ” Sothis asked.

“Yes? What about it?” Bilet asked, confused as to where Sothis was going with her question. 

“ _Then why are you lying to her over something as trivial as your emotions?_ ” Sothis followed up. 

Bilet stared at the liquid in the cup and frowned. “I don’t want to worry her.”

“ _Humans are a predictable bunch, if you ask me,_ ” Sothis hummed. “ _They are fond of patterns, and they are easily frightened by a concept as simple as the unknown._ ”

“I’m still not completely here, what are you trying to say?” 

“ _I’m saying if you don’t learn how to communicate with her, she’ll end up betraying you again,_ ” Sothis warned. “ _What was it that you compared her to? An abused puppy limping back home to its master?_ ”

“I told her she’ll get the answers she seeks when she proves to me that she deserves them,” Bilet argued.

“ _And what prerequisites are you requiring in order to share your mental stability with her?_ ” Sothis asked.

“My little break down in the chapel was a moment of weakness that was bound to catch up with me,” Bilet explained. “No point in worrying her over something that has already come and gone.”

“ _Did you or did you not just say a minute ago that you’re not completely here?_ ” Sothis pushed.

Bilet didn’t say anything in response. He grabbed the mug and left the classroom, relieved Sothis didn’t try to continue the conversation. He dumped out the cold coffee in the grass before turning to head towards the dining hall. Outside the Black Eagles’ classroom, he spotted Edelgard and Hubert engaged in a hushed conversation. Probably discussing when to make their next move against Lady Rhea, if he had to guess. As much as Bilet wanted to go over and intervene, he could feel his own exhaustion washing over him. All he wanted to do in the moment was return the mug, and go to his room and attempt to sleep.

“Professor Bilet,” Edelgard called out to him as he tried to hurry by.

Bilet mentally cursed and turned to face the pair. “Is there something I can help you with?” He asked, trying to sound sincere. A lifetime ago, he didn’t have to fake wanting to help the two students before him.

“We hear your class is hunting down thieves,” Hubert said, a half-grin on his face. “That mission is very different than the one we were given.”

“Oh?” Bilet hummed. “I haven’t been filled in on the details of the other class assignments for the month yet.”

“It’s obvious your class was assigned the most dangerous task due to your victory in the mock battle,” Edelgard said. The way she stared at Bilet put him on the defensive. Edelgard had always been perceptive, but her observations were normally directed towards Byleth, since she was the one with the flashy Sword of the Creator. For a brief moment, Bilet could see how his sister would feel unsafe fleeing the watchful eyes of her Emperor during the war.

“It’s clear you’re very powerful. Fighting alongside you against those bandits the first time we met was impressive, but watching your class defeat us in the mock battle?” Edelgard continued. “It’s a shame you and your sister aren’t teaching our class this year.”

Hearing her mention Byleth rubbed Bilet the wrong way, but he shoved that feeling down and instead let out a chuckle. “Trying to pull us away from our current class?”

“Perhaps,” Edelgard smiled. If this was the first time Bilet was meeting the princess, he would’ve missed the smugness that lingered in her grin. “If you’re interested, I’m sure we can work something out with Professor Hanneman. I can be quite persuasive at times.”

“I appreciate the offer, but I’m happy with my current position,” Bilet said, his voice stiff. As much as he hated being stuck in a conversation with the two of them, he was happy that Byleth wasn’t the one they caught leaving the Blue Lions’ classroom.

“What a shame,” Edelgard frowned. “Perhaps I should extend my offer to Professor Byleth when I see her next. I feel like the Black Eagles would benefit greatly by having at least one of you present to assist us, and she did say a few weeks ago that she might regret not choosing our class.”

Something snapped in Bilet when he heard that. Between his argument with Byleth a few days ago, his breakdown earlier, and Sothis’ warning of Byleth’s betrayal happening again, he was way past his emotional limit for the day. One moment, he was engaged in a simple conversation with the imperial princess and her retainer, and the next, Edelgard was on the ground, holding her nose while blood dripped out from between her fingers.

Hubert wasted no time firing a Mire spell at the former mercenary, but before it could hit, time froze around them. Bilet stared at Edelgard on the ground and blinked, confused as to what just happened.

“ _What in the hell were you thinking?!_ ” Sothis screamed at him.

Bilet raised his hand and stared at the specks of blood that decorated his knuckles. That and the faint sting he felt was the only indication he had as to what happened, but he couldn’t remember throwing the actual punch. “What happened?”

“ _What do you mean what happened? You just attacked the imperial princess!_ ” Sothis snapped. “ _You’re lucky I stepped in when I did, or else you would be in a lot of pain from her servant’s spell! I should’ve let you get hit before stopping time, serves you right for acting so recklessly! Weren’t you the one who told your sister in Remire village not to do anything to harm her in case her father started a war in retaliation?_ ”

“I… I hit her?” Bilet asked, still confused. He could clearly see Edelgard on the ground, her hand bloody from holding her nose, which was most likely broken. He couldn’t recall attacking her.

“ _I normally only force you to use Divine Pulse when you’re the one about to die, but this was beyond idiotic of you! I’d expect this kind of recklessness from your sister, but I didn’t think you’d resort to such violence unprompted!_ ” Sothis yelled at him.

Bilet wanted to argue that his attack had been prompted, but he held his tongue. The threat of his sister getting dragged back into Edelgard’s class, and eventually her war…

“I don’t know what came over me,” Bilet muttered, his eyes not leaving Edelgard.

“ _Well you better figure it out!_ ” Sothis snapped. “ _You’re already exhausted, and we’re no longer fused, so if I have to step in again, you’ll most likely pass out. I’m sure that is something you’d like to avoid doing in front of them_.”

“I’ll control myself, I promise,” Bilet swore. He knew what to expect now. Part of him was grateful that he was unarmed. Better a broken nose than a dead student, although neither were promising outcomes. Bilet took a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare himself for what Edelgard was going to suggest as time worked its way back. The blood vanished from his knuckles, Edelgard rose up from the ground, and Hubert reverted back to a more relaxed position. Time began again, and Edelgard opened her mouth to speak.

“What a shame,” Edelgard frowned. “Perhaps I should extend my offer to Professor Byleth when I see her next. I feel like the Black Eagles would benefit greatly by having at least one of you present to assist us, and she did say a few weeks ago that she might regret not choosing our class.”

Bilet’s hand clenched into a fist at his side, but he kept it still. “Feel free to speak to her on the matter, but don’t be surprised when she turns you down.” His tone was harsher than he had intended, but it was still better than his previous reaction. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go turn in for the evening.” Without waiting for either of them to respond, Bilet turned and hurried away from the pair.

Bilet made his way across the campus towards his room, the image of Edelgard bleeding on the ground playing on loop in his mind. He wasn’t surprised to see Byleth standing outside their rooms waiting for him. She knew he used Divine Pulse. The concerned expression on her face had Bilet feeling guilty once again. He hadn’t meant to worry her.

“Let?” Byleth asked. Her voice was gentle, like she was the one worried about upsetting him.

“Don’t worry about it,” Bilet muttered.

“Do you wanna talk about it?” She asked.

Bilet shook his head. “No, it was nothing major,” he lied. “I just slipped up, but it’s fine now.”

Byleth eyes his hand, and for a moment Bilet feared she could see the blood from when he punched Edelgard. “Do you want me to take that to the dining hall?”

He paused before glancing down to see what he was holding. In his other hand, he was still holding the coffee mug. “I’ll take it in the morning. I’m going to bed,” Bilet said, heading towards his room. “Goodnight.”

Byleth stared at her brother for a moment longer before sighing. “Goodnight. Come get me if you need anything, okay?”

Bilet closed the door to his room behind him and set the mug down on his desk. He hated the way Byleth had looked at him. She wasn’t supposed to worry about him. He was the one who was supposed to have a solid grip on things, the one with no regrets and the moral high ground. 

The memory of his sister turning to protect Edelgard in the holy tomb replayed in his mind over and over again. All of the anger he had for the princess had been put into that punch. Part of him wondered what would’ve happened if he had been carrying his sword. Killing Edelgard early on would eliminate the fear of Byleth betraying him again that lingered in the back of his mind. It would also result in several bounties on his head, as well as the current Emperor possibly starting a war against the church himself. Then again, he wasn’t as powerful as Edelgard would become if she survived-

Bilet smacked the sides of his face hard in an attempt to refocus himself. He had to get a grip on things. What happened today was a slip up he couldn’t afford to make again. He’d find a way to save his sister from her own mistakes without the needless blood. They’d either convince Edelgard to stand down, or they’d take her out in the Holy Tomb before her war could get started again.

The satisfaction that came from punching Edelgard was something he’d have to table for later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for reading! Next week- bandits!


	9. Yet Still I Hide

It had been a little under a week since Bilet’s slip up. He had gone back to doing his own share of the paperwork, and to his surprise, Byleth had stepped up more to help lead the class. It was clear to see how hard she was pushing herself to appear confident in front of their students. Even though tensions between the two of them were still tense, Bilet could appreciate the work Byleth was putting in when it came to the betterment of their class.

The cathedral bells rang out, notifying them that it was break time. Byleth set down her piece of chalk while Bilet looked up from his work at the desk. “Alright, we’ll pick back up at the training grounds in an hour,” Byleth said, turning to address the class. “Don’t over eat. We’ll do some stretching at the training grounds, but we’re doing endurance training today, so that means laps up and down the hill, you hear? And no, throwing up is not a valid excuse for skipping out. Bandits won’t care if you get sick on the battlefield, and we’re training for the real thing.”

The Blue Lions gathered their things, a few of them groaning at the mention of endurance training. Byleth chuckled at their dramatics before turning towards Bilet. She kept the smile on her face, but he could tell it was all for show. Between their argument almost two weeks ago, and Bilet avoiding any and all discussion around why he used Divine Pulse last week, the two of them had been struggling around each other. It wasn’t as bad as it was when they would see each other on the battlefield during the war, but now they had Sothis nagging at them to get over themselves, which Bilet would argue was somehow worse in a different way.

“Do you want me to get you anything from the dining hall?” Byleth offered.

“Whatever they’re serving is fine, I’m not too picky,” Bilet muttered, going back to his paperwork. While Byleth was going to run sprints with the class after lunch, Bilet was tasked with staying inside and hammering out any last details regarding their upcoming fight with the bandits. Any day now, the Knights of Seiros would approach them and tell them to prepare to leave. The downside was neither twin could recall what day they fought the first time.

“I’ll be back in a bit then,” Byleth said before turning to leave. Bilet listened to her footsteps and let out a small sigh of relief once she was gone. He hated acting so stiff around her, but if he dropped the act, she’d question him on why he used Divine Pulse again, he’d refuse to answer, and then they’d just end up arguing again. It was just easier to act similarly to how they were the first time they came to Garreg Mach- emotionless and uncaring about anything.

“ _You two could just talk it over and stop avoiding each other,_ ” Sothis suggested.

“I’ve shamed her for her actions even after the war while she’s trying to repent and undo the damage. How can I look her in the eyes and tell her I attacked a defenseless student over a slight annoyance?” Bilet whispered.

“ _You are acting as if she died from your attack_ ,” Sothis said.

Bilet chuckled humorlessly. “If she had died, would you have stepped in? That would’ve prevented the war, which is our main goal here.”

The sound of someone walking into the classroom shut Bilet up real fast. He glanced up from the desk to find Annette standing just a few rows away, a book in hand, and a pondering look on her face.

“Do you have a moment, Professor?” she asked.

“Of course,” Bilet nodded. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well, I have this book of battle tactics that I borrowed from one of the knights. I figured it’d be a good idea to study up before our first real battle, but there’s this one part I don’t understand,” Annette explained. “Do you think you could help me figure it out?”

“I’m sure we can work through it together,” Bilet said. It was nice to see a student so eager to learn. He pushed his own paperwork aside to make room for the book.

“Thank you so much!” Annette said. She opened up the book and set it down for Bilet to look over. “It’s about this diagram right here. I don’t see the advantage to the knights grouping up in the forest like that, and the description doesn’t go into much detail. Am I just missing something?” 

Bilet stared at the page for a moment, quickly skimming over the battle description above the diagram. “I understand why it’s confusing. It is strange, considering the majority of the knights are wearing heavy armor.”

“Which would make moving around that terrain difficult,” Annette added.

“Precisely,” Bilet nodded in agreement. “However, notice how there’s a mage and two archers lined up behind the heavy armor knights? They’re the ones who are going to be doing most of the attacking. The description mentions that they’re facing off against a group of grapplers and myrmidons. The knights up front are positioned there to act as a defensive wall in order to protect their long range attackers, since there aren’t any enemy mages present to counter the heavy armor knights.”

“Oh, I see now!” Annette said, turning the book back around to face her. “Movement restriction doesn’t matter much if they defensive knights aren’t required to move much anyway, plus the trees will limit the enemies’ movement as well!”

“The heavy armor knights will take their attacks head on while the archers and mage finish them off,” Bilet finished.

“I finally understand! Thank you so much! You’re a great teacher, Professor Bilet! I knew asking you was the right idea,” Annette beamed.

“I'm always happy to help,” Bilet smiled. It was refreshing to have a student so eager to not only learn, but also reach out and ask for help. Linhardt had the passion for learning, but rarely came to either of the Eisner twins for advice. Petra had been the one most likely to ask for their help, but she seldom needed it. 

Annette closed the book and picked it back up. “I’d better go visit the library for some research material on offensive magic before endurance training. Maybe I can convince Felix or Dimitri to stay late afterwards too to help me with my sword skills?”

“Now don’t overdo it,” Bilet warned. “I’m glad to see your dedication when it comes to learning, but rest is just as important.”

“I always find it more tiring to laze around doing nothing,” Annette said, waving off his concerns. “I’m not good at just sitting still. I have to have something to do. I just…can’t relax. Know what I mean?” She sighed. “Free days are always so dull, which is why I’m thankful Professor Hanneman is having a seminar over archery and offensive magic this weekend. I’m not super into archery, but Mercie and Ashe said they’d tag along with me, which would count towards spending time with friends! Do you know how much of a struggle it is to get Mercie to leave her room on our free days? It’s a miracle she said yes, but then again, we all wanna be prepared for our first real battle.”

Bilet listened to her ramble, patiently waiting for her to finish. “You sound just like my sister,” he said once she was done. Between taking time to help Dimirti instruct the orphans on swordplay, teaching the Blue Lions, taking on Bilet’s work load for a week, and finding time to eat lunch with their father, Byleth was the clear definition of overworked. Although, Bilet could argue Annette was a close second at this rate.

“Well I’m glad to know there’s someone out there who feels the same way that I do!” Annette smiled. Bilet wanted to explain he hadn’t meant comparing Annette to Byleth as a compliment, but he held his tongue. “Anyways, thanks again for the help, Professor, but I have to run! Need to grab a bite to eat before I head to the library!”

He watched as she turned to run out, tripping over a chair on the way. “Be careful!” Bilet called after her, but she just kept running. Hopefully she’d be able to keep up that pace when Byleth has her running sprints later.

For the next hour, Bilet dedicated himself to memorizing every strategy and back up plan Byleth and him had come up with. The general plan was to keep the students together and not take the side route they knew would be there. Just a simple forward charge to corner Kostas, and once his men were dealt with, Bilet and Byleth would go in and deal with Kostas themselves. Of course they’d talk it over and make changes in the heat of battle, but it was always good to go in with some sort of plan, especially when they’ve both gone through this fight once before.

Bilet heard someone else come into the classroom. He looked up from his notes, expecting to see one of the students trying to get out of endurance training. Instead, he found Byleth. He completely forgot that he asked her to grab him food, but she didn’t seem to be carrying anything.

“The knights said the last of the thieves have been cornered,” Byleth informed him.

“Shit,” Bilet cursed. “When do we leave?”

“One hour.”

Bilet could’ve sworn they had more time to prepare when the Black Eagles were assigned the same mission, but that fact didn’t matter now. “Do the students know?”

“No, not yet. They’re all waiting at the training grounds,” Byleth said. “I’m about to go over there and let them know. I figured I’d give you the heads up first.”

Bilet took one last look at their plans before standing up and going over to join his sister. “Time to head back to Zanado.”

Byleth hesitated for a moment, unsure on what mood her brother was in. “Do you think they’re ready?” She eventually asked. She hated how nervous she sounded, but thankfully she’d be able to play it off as concern for her students.

“We didn’t lose anyone the first time around, so we shouldn’t lose anyone this time either.”

Byleth nodded, and the pair began making their way towards the training grounds. Thankfully, when it came to working together, even though the twins weren’t on the best of terms, they both knew to table any disagreements in order to focus on the battle ahead. Patiently waiting for them at the training grounds was the entire Blue Lions class dressed in their running uniform, ready to run sprints like they had planned.

“There’s been a change of plans,” Byleth announced. “The good news is we’re not doing endurance training today.”

There was a collective sigh of relief. No one enjoyed endurance days.

“Instead, we’re leaving for Zanado in one hour,” Byleth finished.

“The Red Canyon?” Ingrid asked.

“So the bandits have finally been cornered,” Dimitri said. It suddenly made sense why they were skipping training.

“The plan is to leave with the Knights of Seiros and engage the bandits as soon as we arrive. If everything goes according to plan, we should be back shortly after nightfall,” Bilet explained. “Don’t worry about bringing along weapons or extra vulneraries. Professor Byleth and I have all of that under control. All you need to worry about is yourself and making sure you’re focused for this fight.”

“We’re just fighting common thieves, right? I don’t expect them to pose much of a challenge,” Felix scoffed.

“Aren’t you a spoilsport,” Sylvain said, throwing an arm around Felix’s shoulders. “I’m quite excited to see if there’s any cute lady thieves hanging around.”

“They’ll stab you in the ribs and loot your corpse without a moment of hesitation,” Felix deadpanned, shoving Sylvain off of him.

“Felix is right,” Bilet said. “These bandits won’t care that you’re children, or if you have a noble title. If given the opportunity, they will strike you down without so much as a second thought. Don’t give them the opportunity.”

That statement seemed to unnerve a few of them. Mercedes frowned and folded her hands together. “True, but the mock battle was a success, so as long as we stay the course, we should be fine.”

“Mercedes is right,” Ashe nodded. “This is what we’ve been preparing for!”

“So much excitement before a battle,” Byleth hummed. “Wasn’t expecting that.”

“Perhaps we are a bit overly excited,” Dimitri agreed. “However, we have the knights on our side, so there’s really no reason to worry.”

“We may have the knights as backup, but this is not a game,” Bilet corrected. “Captain Jeralt won’t be there to act as a referee if you get injured.”

“Oh, of course. I apologize for letting my childish whims get the best of me,” Dimitri said quickly.

“Go get ready to depart,” Byleth said, ushering the Blue Lions back towards their dorm rooms. “We’ll all meet up at the entrance in an hour!’

The students hurried back to get ready. Bilet and Byleth stood back and watched until they could no longer see their students.

“Our plan will work,” Bilet said in an attempt to reassure her.

Byleth nodded slowly. “Go grab a quick bite to eat. I’ll confirm the weapon selection with the armory and pick up some extra vulneraries from one of the merchants.”

“I can wait and eat on the road,” Bilet offered.

“We’re going to need you at full strength in case something happens,” Byleth said, shutting down his suggestion.

“I didn’t have to use Divine Pulse the first time around,” Bilet reminded her.

“No, but you had to use it last week for some reason,” Byleth muttered. “Let me guess, another answer I don’t deserve to know?”

Before a battle wasn’t the time to have that discussion. Both twins knew that, but Byleth couldn't help but act snippy. She was growing tired of how Bilet was treating her. Neither of them spoke. After a minute, Byleth sighed, deciding to drop it for now. “Go eat. Don’t argue, just go. I’ll take care of any last minute preparations.”

Bilet opened his mouth to speak, but his stomach growled, stopping any arguments he was about to make. Byleth chuckled before taking her leave to go head towards the merchant stands.

“ _So, we are taking children into battle again, are we?_ ” Sothis asked. “ _I am not certain I will be able to sleep soundly after beholding something like that a second time._ ”

“You’ve witnessed worse before,” Bilet said, trying to downplay the idea of marching into combat with children as young as 16 with no practical battle experience. 

“ _Are you trying to make light of the situation?_ ” Sothis asked. “ _Even with the ability to turn back the hands of time, this battle is not something to be taken lightly! No battle is! You know Divine Pulse’s power is not infinite, and your body at this point in time cannot go back as many times as your war scarred mind may be used to_.”

The memory of Bilet almost passing out a week ago flashed in his mind. During the war, he had gone back fifteen times in an attempt to save Dimitri before collapsing. Now he could barely go back once while fatigued without the threat of losing consciousness. 

“Don’t worry, I have no intentions of passing out on the battlefield,” Bilet reassured her. “That only happened once, and I know Seteth won’t be around to drag my ass to safety if it happens again.”

“ _True, but do not forget that you have Byleth this time around,_ ” Sothis hummed.

Sothis sounded so confident that Byleth would risk everything to save Bilet that for a brief moment, he almost believed she was right.

**********

No one could say they weren’t properly armed for this mission. One of the Bilet had made sure to edit in their plan was making sure the students all had two weapons on them. Something he noticed in the mock battle was once a student was disarmed, they were immediately forced to surrender. Bilet wanted to make sure they all had a second chance to defend themselves this time around.

“We’ll hang back here,” the lead knight informed him. “If it looks like you guys are in trouble, we’ll step in.”

“Thank you,” Bilet said. Byleth had already begun going over the plan with their students. Unlike the mock battle where they knew how many people they were up against, and where they’d be located, this fight was full of uncertainties. Even though both Bilet and Byleth had gone through it once before, it had been years ago with a different class. They needed to be flexible with their plan, but they decided no splitting off, and no assigning students to lead a group without one of them present. Their students would have plenty of time to demonstrate their leadership skills later. Their only job for this fight was to survive while Bilet and Byleth took down Kostas.

The location itself wasn’t horrible. Sure, the history was bad, but the terrain itself was pretty flat, not offering enemies many places to hide. The excitement from earlier seemed to have died down as the Blue Lions gazed out over the landscape.

“So this is the Red Canyon,” Dimitri said, his grip on his lance tightening. “It’s like walking through a ruin.”

“Let’s just get this out of the way,” Felix said. He already had his sword drawn, ready to defend himself at a moment's notice. 

“Professor Byleth, the map you showed us had a backroad to the west,” Ingrid spoke up. “Wouldn’t it make sense for some of us to split off and go that way so we can surround the bandit leader?”

“Strategically that makes sense,” Byleth agreed. “However, it is safer for us to stick together, and since most of you have no real battle experience, Professor Bilet and I don’t feel comfortable taking any unnecessary risks.”

“But if we decided to advance cleverly, we could quickly gain the advantage and cut off any escape routes the bandit leader may try and take,” Dimitri argued, siding with Ingrid.

“If the knights weren’t standing behind us, we might’ve decided that to be a necessary risk. However, as it is, we’re staying together. No running off ahead to try and play hero, is that understood?” Bilet asked, his tone stern.

“Our first goal is to cross that bridge,” Byleth pointed out. On the other side, three bandits were visibly guarding it. If this mission had just been her and Bilet, it would’ve been far less stressful. Bandit cleanup had been a fairly common job for them back when they still served as mercenaries. “I’m going to cross and engage with the enemy first. Sylvain, Dedue, you two cover me.”

“I think one of those thieves has a bow. Merecedes and Ashe go with her as well,” Bilet ordered.

“I thought we weren’t splitting into groups?” Annette asked, watching nervously as her friend went ahead to deal with the first set of bandits.

“The bridge itself isn’t large enough for all of us to fight at once, so while Byleth and them take care of the three guards, we’ll be behind and support them once it’s safe to cross,” Bilet explained. “The last thing we need is for any of you to accidentally injure each other or fall over from overcrowding the bridge. When we said no splitting off into groups, we were mainly referring to that side route. We’re all still in the same area here in case someone needs to pull back.”

Byleth eyed the three bandits just across the bridge. The two closest to her were wielding axes, with an archer closely behind them to help cover.

“Stay focused,” Byleth told the four students with her before charging in. She clashed with one of the axe wielders right away, trying to disarm him before he could turn on any of her students. An arrow whizzed past her, but one cried out in pain or made any noise indicating that they got hit. It was reassuring to know they weren’t dealing with any sharp shooters, just common thieves. She shoved the bandit back before stepping forward, stabbing her sword through his chest. The bandit coughed up blood before hitting the ground.

One down, two to go.

The second axe wielder went after Sylvain, but thankfully Sylvain was able to dodge his attack. He took a stab at the bandit, but he only managed to land a shallow cut on the fighter’s non-dominant arm. Dedue stepped up to help defend Sylvain, but what Byleth hadn’t expected was the fire spell from Mercedes. Her attack hit the bandit dead on, and he screamed in agony as the flames scorched his skin. His axe fell before he did.

Mercedes stared at the man she just killed, a slightly horrified look in her eyes. Byleth wanted to reach out and comfort her, but now was not the time. There was still an archer to deal with.

“Ashe!” Byleth called before running to engage the archer.

“R-right!” Ashe responded hesitantly. He quickly notched an arrow and took aim at the enemy. He fought to steady his shaky hands before releasing the arrow. Thankfully, it made contact, piercing the thief in the thigh. While the bandit was distracted by the sudden pain in his leg, Byleth brought her sword down, cutting straight across his torso. Sylvain came up from behind Byleth and stabbed his lance clean through the archer. The bandit dropped his bow and collapsed, leaving the bridge safe to cross.

Bilet caught up with his sister and eyed the dead bandits scattered on the bridge. “What’s your call?”

_“Archer couldn’t shoot for shit, and their two main guards took less than a minute to deal with,” Byleth said, scanning the area on the other side of the bridge while she spoke. “Kostas probably has his best men closest to him, but that’s not saying much. We let the students lead the charge once we cross, let them deal with the next round or two of bandits, and once we have Kostas in our sights the two of us go in and take him down.”_

_“Sounds good,” Bilet nodded. “Edelgard, Ferdinand, you two will take the lead as we cross the bridge. Hubert, Dorothea, stay close behind them for extra cover. Once we’re across, Caspar and Petra hang back to protect Bernadette and Linhardt,” he ordered._

_Edelgard and Ferdinand glared at each other, but made no argument against their professor’s instructions. Hubert looked peeved to see Her Highness leading the charge, but since she made no protest, he held his tongue. Dorothea bit her lip, not looking too happy at being so close to the front lines. Caspar grumbled about getting stuck on guard duty, and Bernadette seemed ready to cry at the idea of fighting. Linhardt yawned, and Petra seemed to be the only one okay with her orders._

“Same as last time,” Byleth sighed, keeping her voice down. She looked out across the bridge and frowned. “Kostas might talk a big game, but we both know he’s a coward. His strongest men will be closest to him.”

“I’ll let you give the orders this time,” Bilet said.

“Keep watch for me then,” she said before turning to face her students. She noticed both Mercedes and Sylvain had this far off look in their eyes. First kills were always hard, or at least, that’s what Byleth had been told. Last time, neither professor made an attempt to comfort their students during or after the fight. Not this time around.

“If at any point during this fight any of you feel like you can’t handle it, you pull back to the knights, you hear me?” Byleth asked, staring directly at the two with fresh blood on their hands. “Taking a life is something that can be difficult to stomach. If you don’t feel comfortable with a command we give, let us know and Professor Bilet and myself will step in instead. This may be a mission assigned to you all from the church, but trust me when I say my brother and I are more than capable of handling it on our own if need be. There will be more battles to come when you all have had more training. Our priority right now though is your safety.”

The Blue Lions all stared at Byleth, not saying anything as her words sank in. After a brief moment of silence, Sylvain took a step forward.

“That’s good to hear, Professor, but how are we supposed to prepare for our future battles if we can’t make it through this one?” he asked.

“Give us our orders and we’ll get this over with quickly,” Felix said.

“The longer we stand here thinking about it, the worse it’ll be,” Annette muttered.

“Like Felix said, better to get it over with quickly,” Ingrid nodded.

None of the Blue Lions made a move to leave. Byleth allowed herself a small smile as she watched her class. Seeing them all come together to make it through this fight gave her that same sense of pride she felt after watching Dimitri take down both house leaders during the mock battle.

“If that’s how you all feel, then Dimitri, you and Felix are going to lead the charge across,” Byleth began explaining. “Professor Bilet and I will be further back observing, but we will step in to assist when needed. We’re still calling the shots, but you all need this practical combat experience. Sylvain and Dedue, stick close behind them and act as their backup. Once we’re across, Ingrid and Annette, you two will hang back to protect Mercedes and Ashe. If any of you get injured at any point, call for Mercedes and we’ll cover you.”

“I’ll assist you with healing if you need it, Mercedes. Don’t worry,” Bilet reassured her.

“Any questions?” Byleth asked.

“None at all, Professor,” Dimitri said. 

“Then everyone fall into position and prepare to cross,” Byleth ordered.

Dimitri and Felix stepped forward to cross the bridge first, weapons at the ready to fight off any bandit they saw. Behind them, everyone else fell into their positions and began making this way across with Bilet and Byleth making up the rear. An arrow flew by, but just like the first archer, this one failed to hit anyone. Felix immediately clashed swords with a bandit that ran up to challenge him. From what Bilet could see, they were about equal in strength, but Felix adjusted his footing and managed to shove the swordsman back, giving Dimitri the opportunity to stab at the bandit’s side. Felix ran past the swordsman to take down the archer while Dedue stepped up to finish off the bandit Dimitri had stabbed. Ashe fired an arrow at the enemy archer, hitting him in the shoulder just before Felix brought his blade down across the bandit’s chest.

Bilet and Byleth eyed each other, surprised at how seamlessly they all seemed to work together. Most of the students from the Black Eagles class preferred to engage the bandits one-on-one, wanting to prove they were the superior fighter in comparison to their classmates. While there were certainly a fair share of proud fighters in the Blue Lions house, it was impressive to see them all set aside whatever competition they had in order to complete the mission together.

A second swordsman charged Felix as the rest of the class ran to finish crossing the bridge. Sylvain managed to get up and block the bandit before he could land a hit on Felix, but the swordsman pushed back, slashing his sword in front of him to keep the nobleman at a distance. Felix stepped up and drove his sword through the bandit’s side, ending him in just one attack.

“I was hoping for more of a challenge,” Felix scoffed.

Sylvain groaned and took a half-step, half-stumble backwards. Immediately, Bilet ran up to check on the young noble. Sure enough, there was a shallow gash across his chest, and blood began seeping through his uniform. Felix’s bored expression quickly shifted into concern once he noticed his friend’s injury.

“Sylvain?” Felix asked. That was the first time Bilet heard Felix speak without sounding annoyed.

“Sorry, I got cocky,” Sylvain chuckled, wincing at the pain.

“Well the good news is you’re not going to die,” Bilet said, helping Sylvain sit down.

“Lucky me,” he groaned.

“Mercedes, come see what you can do,” Bilet called, waving her over.

Mercedes knelt down and placed a hand over Sylvain’s wound. She closed her eyes in concentration as she summoned forth her healing magic. Sylvain winced in pain as his wound began to slowly heal over. The rest of the class all stood around watching her work, concerned for their injured classmate.

“Bilet?” Byleth asked.

“Go on ahead, I’ll stay with them,” Bilet said.

“I’m not a healer,” Byleth reminded him. “You go with them, I’ll stay here.”

Theoretically, it made sense for them to swap. With Mercedes hanging back to heal Sylvain, if someone else got injured, Bilet would be there to step in and act as a healer. However, Bilet didn’t feel comfortable leaving his sister behind with a student that she herself killed during the war, and another that she fought and never discovered the fate of. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her to protect them, it was that he didn’t trust her to keep a level head around them. If she flashed back to the war and he wasn’t around to snap her out of it…

“ _He wants to know if you are sure of yourself and able to protect the young ones without losing yourself to past horrors,_ ” Sothis told Byleth.

“Go,” Byleth repeated to her brother. “We’ll be fine.”

“ _She trusts herself. Now you need to trust her,_ ” Sothis told Bilet.

Bilet hesitated for a moment longer before nodding. Now was not the time to argue, especially in front of the students. “Alright. Once Sylvain’s back on his feet, take the side route and meet back up with us so you and I can take down Kostas. Felix, stay back with them so they have some extra man power to take the side route,” Bilet ordered.

On a normal day, Felix would have argued against staying behind, but Bilet could tell he was concerned for his friend’s well being, even if he didn’t want to admit it outloud. After all, Sylvain got injured protecting Felix. The swordsman nodded and stepped away from the main group, leaving Bilet with Dimitri, Dedue, Ashe, Annette, and Ingrid.

Approaching from the left were two bandits with swords, and one with an axe. From the right, there was a bandit not wielding a weapon, most likely a mage. “Dedue, engage the swordsman on the left, Ingrid take the one on the right,” Bilet instructed, keeping his eyes on the battlefield. “Dimitri, you take care of the axe wielder. You took down Edelgard before without any problems, and I highly doubt he’s had half the training she has. Ashe, target the mage to the right. Annette, if anyone starts to get too close to Mercedes and Sylvain, use whatever offensive spells you have to stop them. Now go!”

Dedue and Ingrid rushed in immediately and clashed with the swordsmen. Dedue was able to easily overpower the bandit he was up against, taking him down with only two swings of his axe. Ingrid was a bit slower than the bandit she fought, but she managed to use her lance to her advantage, successfully keeping him out of range of hitting her. Ashe quickly fired an arrow at the mage, only missing him by a hair. His second arrow pierced the mage right in the throat. Dimitri went in to take down the axe wielder, and just like Bilet predicted, the bandit was far less skilled than the imperial princess. His attacks were sloppy to the point where Bilet questioned if he had ever held an axe before today. Dimitri was able to dodge and land a slash on the bandit’s arm. Once he realized he was clearly outmatched, the axe fighter tried to escape.

“Annette,” Bilet said, readying his sword in case the bandit got too close. Annette nodded once before firing off a simple wind spell, knocking the bandit onto his back. Dimitri didn’t hesitate before going in for the kill. 

Four more bandits down.

“Alright, the five of you that are with me, we’re charging the staircase dead ahead!” Bilet said, moving up to take the front line. “We’ll be approaching Kostas from the right, so once we’re across, be cautious! Professor Byleth and the others will approach from the left once it’s safe for them to do so. Dimitri, you’re going to be leading our charge.”

The crown prince nodded in confirmation. “I won’t let you down.”

“Dedue and Ingrid, flank Dimitri. Annette and Ashe, provide support from the back. Try to get a hit on the thieves before they even reach Dimitri if you can,” Bilet instructed.

All of the students in Bilet’s group moved to take their positions before advancing towards the ruined staircase. Byleth smiled softly, focusing on her pride in her students to keep herself grounded in the present.

“How are you holding up, Sylvain?” she asked once Bilet’s group was out of sight.

“Like Professor Bilet said, I’ll live,” he chuckled.

“If you hadn’t jumped in and acted so recklessly, you wouldn’t have been injured in the first place,” Felix snapped.

“I think what you meant to say was, _Thank you, Sylvain, for saving my life._ Which of course, you’re welcome,” Sylvain smirked.

“Shut up and heal faster so we can rejoin the fight.”

“You two bickering isn’t going to help anything,” Mercedes sighed. She pulled her hand away and stood up, dusting off the skirt of her uniform. “The pain should subside in a few minutes. Once it does, you should be good to go.”

“I owe you one, Mercedes,” Sylvain said, smiling up at her.

“What’s our plan of attack, Professor?” Felix asked, turning to Byleth.

Byleth stared at the small group with her. Felix and Sylvain were two of the most skilled fighters she had observed during training, and it was clear that they could work well together despite their bickering. Mercedes’ magic was powerful, but if she was the only long distance attacker they had, it would be a little tricky. Byleth sheathed her sword and glanced over at the side path they were going to take.

“I’m going to lead us across, but once we’re on a wider field, Sylvain and Felix, you two will be leading the attack while Mercedes and I cover you from the back,” Byleth explained.

“Gonna show off those offensive magic skills you mentioned during class?” Sylvain asked, standing up.

“Something like that, yeah,” Byleth muttered. She hadn’t needed to use magic during a fight in awhile. The last time she did use it, she had been fused with Sothis, which gave her an extra boost of strength all around. Her hand ached to wield the Sword of the Creator once again, but she pushed that longing down. She had to make do with what she had.

“Sylvain, are you ready?” Byleth asked.

He nodded, stretching his arms over his head before grabbing his lance. “I’m good to go, Professor.”

“Alright then, on me.”

Byleth wasted no time charging the left side bridge. There was one lone bandit with an axe guarding the other side. For just a second, Byleth could see the confused look in his eyes as he watched her run straight for him, no visible weapon in her hand. He caught on too late though, and failed to dodge the ball of fire Byleth shot straight for him. The bandit screamed for just a moment as he burned, and collapsed before Byleth was even across. She stopped to wait for her students, glancing down at the charred body. She felt a little bad for causing him to suffer like that, but she needed to make sure she could still wield her magic efficiently enough to be of any use in this fight.

Sylvain let out a low whistle as they crossed, eyeing the dead bandit. “Damn, Teach, I wasn’t expecting that.”

“Like I said, I prefer swords,” Byleth said, trying to shrug it off. Magic had its uses, but swords were a lot cleaner in her opinion. After facing off against Bilet a few times on the battlefield though, she knew her brother would disagree with that statement.

“ _Now is not the time to be thinking about the past,_ ” Sothis scowled. 

“Kostas should be hiding just up ahead,” Byleth said, trying to refocus herself on the battle. “Let’s see if we can beat my brother and the rest of the Blue Lions there.”

Felix seemed intrigued by the idea of turning their fight into a contest. He and Sylvain took their positions up front and began leading Mercedes and Byleth towards the bandit leader. Surprisingly though, there was a severe lack of thieves in their path.

“I wonder where they all went,” Mercedes pondered.

“They probably went over to engage Bilet’s group, not expecting a side attack,” Byleth answered. “Keep your eyes peeled for any stragglers though.”

A little ways ahead, there was a single bandit, no weapon in hand.

“Mage,” Byleth warned.

Felix and Sylvain charged, sword and lance at the ready. The bandits fired what appeared to be a nosferatu spell at Sylvain. Before Byleth could step in, Felix grabbed Sylvain’s arm and pulled him out of the way of the spell before pushing himself ahead and striking down the mage with a single cut running from the left shoulder to the right hip.

“Nice job protecting your ally while also getting the kill,” Byleth complimented.

“You didn’t offer me any praise when I saved Felix earlier,” Sylvain frowned.

“I was a little too busy worrying about you bleeding out on the battlefield, Sylvian.”

Just up ahead, Byleth could see the small crumbling fortress Kostas was hiding out in. Bilet’s group was busy finishing off the extra bandits that ran over to backup their fellow thieves, but their leader made no move to help them. Just like last time, Kostas remained a coward that hid behind men willing to die for him.

“Let’s go. I don’t want to give Kostas the chance to retreat,” Byleth said, staring directly at the bandit leader. 

Originally, Byleth had planned for her and Bilet to take down Kostas, just like they did the first time. Before, their reasoning for leaving the students out of that fight was since Kostas almost killed Edelgard, the twins didn’t want to risk anyone else’s life when they could just handle it themselves. That, and the Black Eagles at the time struggled with working together to take down a single enemy. The Blue Lions on the other hand…

“Felix, Sylvain, if you two can engage Kostas up close and corner him, Mercedes and I can support you from behind,” Byleth explained.

“You’re trusting us to take down the leader of the bandits?” Sylvain asked.

Byleth nodded. “I can lead the charge if you two are uncomfortable doing so, but I wouldn’t suggest you two leading if I didn’t think you were capable.”

“I’m fine going in first. Someone has to keep this dumb ass from nearly dying again,” Felix smirked, nodding his head at Sylvain.

“Did no one else hear Professor Bilet say I wasn’t going to die?” Sylvain asked.

_“Professor! Has it really been five years?”_

“Mercedes saved your life. You should be grateful,” Byleth said, trying to stay focused on the present. Despite the clear sky above, she could’ve sworn she felt rain drops on her arms.

“We are not joking about my minor flesh wound in the middle of a fight,” Sylvain sighed.

_“We ought to raise a class to the occasion. Celebrate your return.”_

“What fight?” Felix scoffed. “The boar prince and the rest of the class are doing all of the fighting while our target hides out in a building with no walls.”

“Sylvain’s right, we should take this a little more seriously,” Mercedes said, smiling slightly. “After all, Sylvain did almost die.”

_“Nah, I’d rather commemorate it with your death.”_

“Is me dying going to be a running joke from here on out?” Sylvain asked.

_“Forgive me, Your Majesty.”_

“ _Focus!_ ” Sothis snapped.

Byleth shook her head and tried to keep her thoughts on the battle. She couldn’t let her guilt consume her in the middle of the mission. She had a duty to her students. “Alright, let’s pay attention now. Felix, Sylvain, go ahead and start your advance. Mercedes and I will cover you.”

While Bilet’s group kept the remaining bandits distracted, Byleth and her group managed to make it to Kostas’ hiding spot with no trouble. The bandit leader glared at Felix and Sylvain as they walked up the steps to his broken fortress.

“Sending these brats instead of the knights?” Kostas scoffed. “You underestimating me now? Big fucking mistake.”

Sylvain wasted no time. Moving quickly, he managed to swing his lance and land a decent blow to Kostas’ chest, resulting in a painful looking cut. The bandit leader grunted in pain, but he still managed to knock away Sylvain’s lance with his axe when the nobleman went in for a second attack. While he was focused on Sylvain though, Mercedes took the opportunity to shoot a fireball at Kostas. The spell hit his arm and he howled in pain, dropping his axe in the process. Not wasting a single moment, Felix went in, driving his sword through Kostas’ stomach.

Kostas stumbled back, coughing up blood as he fell to his knees. “I should’ve never listened to that idiot,” he choked. “What a mistake…” He fell forward, his face smacking against the stone floor of the collapsed fortress. The three students all paused, not expecting that to go so smoothly, and unsure of what to do next.

Byleth took a deep breath. They all performed marvelously, taking down Kostas together in only a few moves. Three against one was probably unfair, but if Kostas wanted numbers, he should’ve been out there fighting with his men. Byleth could see that the adrenaline from the fight was wearing off on the three of them. Their shoulders hunched and their grips on their weapons loosened as the realization that they actually killed people for the first time became apparent. Byleth considered herself lucky to have no emotions when she took her first life, but the rest of the Blue Lions weren’t so fortunate.

“Bilet and the others should be done handling the other thieves by now,” Byleth said, keeping her voice steady. “We’ll report back to the knights and follow their instructions for returning to the monastery. Good job today, all of you.”

“You led us well, Professor,” Mercedes said. As the eldest of the Blue Lions, she tried to put on a brave face for the other two.

They left the fortress without another word to meet up with the rest of the class. By the looks of it, they had just finished their own battle. Bilet took a look around the battlefield, double checking for any more enemies. When he spotted Byleth and her own group of students, he frowned.

“You were supposed to meet up with us so we could take on Kostas together,” Bilet said, walking over to Byleth.

“Sylvain, Mercedes, and Felix took him down,” Byleth explained. “I didn’t even need to step in and help.”

“You let them take on Kostas without you?”

“I was there to offer my support if needed.”

“In Professor Byleth’s defense, she did give us the option to hang back and let her do all of the dirty work,” Sylvain spoke up, trying to defend his Professor from her clearly annoyed brother.

“I thought we said we weren’t letting the students engage Kostas,” Bilet said, ignoring Sylvain.

“We also said that we weren’t going to split up. Things change in the heat of battle,” Byleth argued.

“Do you not trust us to hold our own, Professor Bilet?” Felix asked.

Bilet sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I- no, that’s not what I’m saying. Obviously you all handled it, and I’m proud of you for doing so. Dimitri, if you wouldn’t mind, please lead everyone back to the knights. Professor Byleth and I will be right behind you.”

The Blue Lions all stared at the twin professors for a moment. They had noticed the tension between them those last few weeks, but they hadn’t seen them disagree so heavily in front of them.

“Come on, everyone,” Dimitri said, waving his class on. “Let’s go report our victory together!”

As the students left, Byleth found herself glaring at Bilet. “So you don’t trust my decision to have three students, who are all capable fighters that I witnessed on the battlefield, take down someone as weak as Kostas while I stand back to supervise, but you’re fine with them all going back to the knights without us there to escort them in case anything happens?”

“Byleth, that’s not what I’m saying-”

“Then what the fuck is it, Bilet?” she snapped. “I’ve been trying so hard these last few weeks, and you’re not even making an attempt to meet me halfway on anything! You look down on me, you talk to me as if I’m irredeemable- if you didn’t think I was capable of change, you wouldn’t have gone back in time, so why are you treating me like shit now? Is it because I told you why I sided with Edelgard the first time?”

“No, that’s not it,” Bilet said, shaking his head. 

“Do you know how many times they mentioned Sylvain almost dying today? Not once did I collapse or run away in panic. I worked my ass off to prove myself to you today by keeping it together and making smart decisions in the heat of battle, so don’t you dare come at me when all is said and done and question why I did what I did, don’t you fucking dare-”

“I broke Edelgard’s nose in a fit of rage last week and Sothis had to step in and use Divine Pulse to fix my mistake.”

Byleth stopped her rant and stared at her brother, who was staring at the ground, his fingers pressed to his temples. “What?”

Bilet shook his head. “Edelgard and Hubert stopped me last week after I left the classroom and tried to convince me to have us switch classes with Hanneman. I told her I was happy with my current class, and she said she’d talk to you about teaching the Black Eagles. I don’t even remember throwing the punch,” he whispered. “Next thing I knew, she was on the ground, Hubert was trying to kill me, and Sothis had stepped in.”

The twins stood there in silence, Byleth’s anger and Bilet’s guilt hovering out in the open.

“ _I remember when this was a peaceful place,_ ” Sothis sighed. “ _Now it is filled with blood and arguments. At least you two are communicating out in the open though._ ”

“Perhaps we should come out here more often if this is what it takes to get us to talk,” Byleth chuckled humorlessly. 

“ _There is a great depth of emotions tied to this place,_ ” Sothis continued. “ _The joy of victory, the sorrow that comes with death. Pain from wounds, and the love you hold for your allies…_ ”

“We should return to the monastery soon,” Bilet muttered, still refusing to look at his sister.

“ _Remember, time reveals all things,_ ” Sothis said. “ _These secrets you two keep from each other must come to an end. There is already so much you do not know about this world and what’s to come. No need to make your own thoughts and feelings part of the mountain that is the unknown._ ”

Bilet finally took the opportunity to look up and face Byleth. He was surprised to find her smiling softly at him. The worried look she held when he used Divine Pulse that shameful night was gone. Instead, all he saw was the caring gaze of his sister that he hadn’t seen since before the war.

“I don’t expect you to tell me everything you know,” Byleth said slowly, her tone careful. “But I do want you to trust me more, both with our students and with yourself. Tell me when you’re struggling, please. You’ve helped me out of my bad memories before, so let me return the favor every once in a while, okay?”

A week ago, Bilet would’ve responded with something along the lines of telling Byleth she was already connected to most of his bad memories, but he held his tongue, tired of the arguing and constantly making this worse. Sothis was right, if he didn’t want to lose Byleth again, he needed to set aside his pride and stop hiding his flaws. At least from Byleth.

“I seriously can’t tell you the secrets Rhea told me until after you turn down Edelgard in the Holy Tomb,” Bilet said, his words somewhat shaky.

“I understand,” Byleth nodded once. “Like you said, I don’t deserve answers just because I finally made the right choice five years late.”

“I’ll try and be more open about how I’m doing though,” Bilet added. “And in all honesty, I haven’t been holding up too well these last few weeks.”

Byleth closed the distance between them and placed a hand on her brother’s shoulder. It took everything Bilet had not to break down in that moment. He cried over the friendships he had lost by going back in time, all while ignoring the fact that Byleth was back in his life. Without even meaning to, he almost pushed her away a second time. Bilet reached out and hugged his sister, holding her tight. Byleth hesitated for a moment, surprised by the sudden affection coming from her brother, but she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, letting him know that she was here to stay this time around.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I'll see you next week for chapter 10!


	10. And Walk Away

“Now that we’re finally back, I shall leave the reporting to Lady Rhea in your hands, Professors,” Dimitri said as they all reentered the monastery grounds. The rest of the Blue Lions class all hurried off to change and raid the dining hall, exhausted after their journey and fight.

“You’ve earned a long rest after that battle. We’ll handle all of the official reports on our end,” Bilet agreed.

Professor Hanneman, accompanied by Edelgard, walked past the returning Blue Lions group. Hanneman waved to the twins as he approached, offering a quick greeting. Since it seemed like the pair was in a hurry, Bilet and Byleth just nodded in return, neither one wanting to stop them and engage in a conversation with the princess.

“Ah, Edelgard!” Dimitri said, clearly having differing plans than his professors. “Is the Black Eagle house going out on their own mission now?”

“That is correct,” Edelgard nodded.

“Be careful out there. Remember, on a real battlefield, one can never tell what’s to come,” Dimitri warned.

“There’s no need to state the obvious, Dimitri,” Edelgard sighed. “But tell me, why the concern? Do you doubt my abilities after sparring against me one time during a practice match?”

“No, that’s not what I meant!” Dimitri said, trying to backpedal. “If I’ve offended you, I hope you’ll accept my apology.”

Byleth would’ve found the prince’s stumbling humorous if she wasn’t so frightened of the girl standing only a few steps away. She had hoped that after witnessing Dimitri’s victory against the princess, and after learning of Bilet’s apparent attack on her, that her fear would’ve died down at least even a little bit. Unfortunately though, she still found herself struggling to keep her eyes from sinking down to stare at the ground.

“Don’t worry about it,” Edelgard waved off. “Professor Hanneman, we must hurry. Everyone’s waiting on us.” 

Without waiting for her professor’s response, Edelgard hurried away from the group. Even though she wasn’t leaving out of fear, Byleth still found it oddly comforting to watch the princess rush to leave her presence instead of it being the other way around for once. 

“I suppose that’s my cue,” Hanneman chuckled. “Try not to let her get to you, Dimitri. I promise you, there’s no need for concern.”

“Why are you so worried about Edelgard?” Byleth asked once Hanneman was gone.

Dimitri just smiled softly, and for a brief moment, Bilet wondered if Claude’s comment about Dimitri having feelings for the imperial princess had some truth to it.

“I’ll tell you all about it some other time,” Dimitri deflected.

Byleth wanted to push for answers, but she held her tongue, not wanting to risk annoying the young prince. He’d speak on the subject when he was ready.

“Well we best hurry and report our success to Lady Rhea,” Bilet said, stepping away.

“Go join your classmates in the dining hall. You deserve to celebrate today’s victory,” Byleth added.

Dimitri nodded once before turning to leave. The twins headed towards the audience chambers together in silence. This upcoming part was easy. All Byleth had to do was let her brother do all of the talking. Her only role was to stand there and not appear annoyed at Rhea’s presence. 

Rhea was already waiting for them in the audience chambers. Bilet and Byleth walked up to meet her, Bilet bowing slightly while Byleth folded her arms behind her back.

“We’ve come to report of our success in taking down Kostas and his allies,” Bilet said as he rose up.

Rhea smiled at the news of their victory. “So, you have safely disposed of those bandits. I pray that their souls find salvation. Now the question remains of why they targeted the students in the first place. We must further investigate the true cause of all that took place. Until we know more, I ask that you support the students and relieve them of any unnecessary worry.”

“Of course,” Bilet nodded. “We will do all that we can.”

“Good. I have high expectations for the two of you. By the way, how was your time in Zanado?” Rhea asked. “Legend has it, in ancient times, a goddess alighted up this world in that very canyon. For a goddess from the heavens, Zanado could only have been a temporary haven.”

“A goddess?” Byleth asked, deciding to speak up. It was unlikely that Rhea would reveal much to them at this point in time, but she was still curious to see if Rhea would tell them anything different from last time they had this conversation.

“Long ago, the divine Seiros received a revelation from the goddess. A gift, to help guide the lost,” Rhea began to explain. “The goddess is always watching over Fódlan from her kingdom above.”

Byleth wondered if Rhea actually believed that, or if she knew that the goddess wasn’t currently up there.

“However, in ancient times, the goddess graced this world with her presence and offered salvation to the people here,” Rhea continued. “She is the mother of all life, the arbiter of every soul.”

“Our father never told us,” Bilet said, which technically wasn’t a lie.

“I see,” Rhea frowned. There was a sad, almost mournful look in her eyes. Before Byleth could question it though, Rhea smiled again, covering up whatever it was she was actually feeling. “I pray that you both come to devote yourselves to the teachings of Seiros during your time here.”

“Lady Rhea, I’m sorry to interrupt,” Seteth said, suddenly emerging from his office. “There is something I must ask about in regard to those bandits.”

“As you wish,” Rhea nodded before turning her attention back to the twins. “Come back early tomorrow morning to receive the details regarding your next mission.”

Bilet bowed again before taking his leave, Byleth right at his heels. Once they were out of the audience chamber, two monks shut the doors behind them.

“Did you see the look in Rhea’s eye when you said dad never taught us about the goddess?” Byleth asked.

“I did,” Bilet nodded.

“She seemed mournful. Do you know why?” Byleth pushed.

“I do.”

When he didn’t elaborate, Byleth nodded slowly to herself. “After the Holy Tomb?”

“After the Holy Tomb.”

**********

“What do you think our mission will be this month?” Bilet asked. The start of the Garland Moon was today, so as requested by Lady Rhea, they were to receive their monthly mission details before enjoying their free day.

“Maybe we’ll get lucky and have guard duty this month,” Byleth chuckled. “Claude was complaining last month over his class not getting to do anything exciting. Maybe Manuela will pass that message along to Rhea so we can relax a bit.”

“It would give us more time to focus on training up the Blue Lions’ weaknesses if we don’t have to worry about going into battle this month,” Bilet nodded.

Waiting for them in the audience chambers this time was both Rhea and Seteth. Rhea smiled as the twins approached them, but the cautious look in Seteth’s eyes worried Bilet. It wasn’t a look Bilet had seen often before, only when his old friend seemed to disagree with the archbishop. Whatever mission she was about to assign them couldn’t be as bad as facing off against Lord Lonato, and Bilet knew Lady Rhea wouldn’t dare task them with handling that.

“We’re here to receive our new mission for the month,” Byleth said, choosing to speak up this time.

Seteth crossed his arms and frowned, glancing at Rhea for a brief moment before speaking. “We have received reports that Lord Lonato has rallied troops against the Holy Church of Seiros.”

Bilet’s blood ran cold. “Lord Lonato?”

“He’s a minor lord in the Kingdom,” Rhea explained. “He has been showing hostility toward the church for some time now.”

“A vanguard unit from the Knights of Seiros is already on its way to his stronghold, Castle Gaspard,” Seteth continued. “Lord Lonato’s army is nothing compared to the knights, so it is quite possible the rebellion has already been suppressed.”

Both twins knew from their past experience that that wasn’t true.

“Even so, I would like for your class to travel with the knights’ rear guard to deal with the aftermath,” Rhea said.

“War zones are unpredictable. We do not expect that you will have cause to battle, but be prepared for the worst,” Seteth warned.

“Let me make sure I’m understanding this correctly,” Byleth said, struggling to remain calm. “You’re having us lead the Blue Lions to deal with the aftermath of a rebellion that was started by one of our student’s fathers?”

“Is there a problem with that, Professor?” Rhea asked.

Byleth laughed, not believing what she was hearing. “Yes, I think there is a problem, do you not see a problem here? You said prepare for the worst. What if the knights fail to quell the rebellion before we arrive? Do you want Ashe to witness your knights striking down his father? You also task us with protecting all of our students during these missions. What if Ashe decides to fight alongside his father? How are we supposed to protect him? Or are you asking us to potentially kill one of our students on the battlefield?”

_“Professors, kill Edelgard at once.”_

“Is there no other class that can take on this mission instead?” Bilet asked, choosing to back up his sister. 

“The other two classes have already been given their assignments for the month,” Seteth said, glancing at Lady Rhea again. From what Bilet could tell, his old friend wasn’t too pleased with the decision to send the Blue Lion class either.

Before Byleth could argue more, the sound of someone else walking in caught their attention.

“You sent for me, Lady Rhea?”

It had been awhile since Bilet last saw Catherine. They had fought side by side during the war plenty of times, but he had yet to meet her again after going back in time. Byleth recalled clashing blades with the knight a few times during the war, and was hoping to avoid doing so again this time around.

“Bilet, Byleth, this is Catherine,” Rhea introduced. “She will be leading the knights whom you will be accompanying.”

“Nice to meet you,” Catherine smiled. She reached out and shook both professors’ hands. “I’ve heard a lot about you two. If you need anything from me, just ask.”

“Catherine is one of our bravest knights,” Rhea continued. “Of course, only an exceptional few have what it takes to join the Knights of Seiros.”

“Nice to meet you too, Catherine,” Byleth said, shaking the knight’s hand. “However, I’m still against our students participating in this mission, and I’m formally requesting that we be assigned a different one.”

“I’m just confused as to why you need the Blue Lions to go on this mission, especially knowing that one of our students has such a close relation to our enemy?” Bilet asked.

“This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to the students how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church,” Rhea said, her tone suddenly much more stern. “Pointing a sword at the Holy Church of Seiros is akin to pointing a sword at the goddess herself. Meting out appropriate punishment to the sinful is a sacred duty with which we have been entrusted. As members of the church yourselves, I hope that you will take that to heart.”

_“Such a rebellious heart cannot be allowed to keep beating.”_

Before, the twins assumed they had received that mission with the Black Eagles due to the archbishop not wanting to risk having someone from the Blue Lion’s class potentially crossing blades with their own family. When they were assigned to take down Miklan shortly thereafter, they figured that they had only proven their previous assumptions correct. If Rhea was giving them the same assignments this time around though…

Without thinking, Bilet reached out and grabbed his sister’s wrist. They had spoken out against Lady Rhea, and he needed to know that she wouldn’t take it too far. He bowed his head quickly, looking for an excuse to leave before things escalated. “We understand. We shall report back at the end of the month after our mission is complete.”

The three church members all eyed Bilet’s grip on Byleth’s wrist, seemingly holding her back, but none of them said anything as they both left. Byleth could feel Bilet’s hand shaking as he held onto her, but whether that was from fear, rage, or a mix of the two, Byleth couldn’t tell. Once they were out of sight of any wandering eyes, she shoved him into an empty storage room. 

“You got an explanation for that?” Byleth snapped, slamming the door shut behind them. She wasn’t angry at Bilet, but she needed to vent her frustrations towards Rhea before she could turn around and go off on the archbishop directly. 

Bilet raised his hands in surrender. “Don’t look at me, I’m just as confused as you are!”

“Why is she making an example out of Lonato?” Byleth asked. “If she wanted to pit family against family, she would’ve sent the Blue Lions the first time around, so why are we going again? Is he supposed to be an example to us?”

“Maybe this is her attempt at trying to keep us in line? We’re not behaving how she’d expect us to, so maybe she’s worried that we’re not fully dedicated to the church?” Bilet wondered.

“I’m not fully dedicated to the church,” Byleth confirmed.

“Exactly, so maybe this is her way of showing us that going against the church is pointless? It would make sense honestly, especially considering…” Bilet trailed off.

“Considering what?” Byleth asked.

Bilet hesitated for a moment. “Considering our connection to Lady Rhea that I can’t go into detail about just yet,” Bilet answered slowly.

Byleth bit down on her lips, physically stopping herself from yelling at Bilet to get over himself and just tell her already. She had to remind herself that her anger wasn’t actually towards him. He backed her up when she spoke out against Rhea, and they just made up from their last fight. She wasn’t about to start another one, especially so soon.

“How are we going to tell Ashe?” she eventually asked.

Bilet winced, not sure on how to go about that. “I don’t know,” he admitted. “But we need to tell him together, and before we inform the rest of the class.”

Byleth sighed and reached for the door. “Let’s hurry up and find him then before word gets around. I don’t want him to find out from a gossipy knight or something.”

They both exited the storage room, a mutual feeling of dread between them. They weren’t sure where they’d find Ashe, but they assumed it’d be best to start with his dorm room. It was still pretty early in the morning, and most of the students at the academy chose to sleep in on their off days. Both of them kept their eyes peeled as they walked though, just in case they spotted Ashe outside of his room. Once they arrived at his dorm, the twins stopped and stared at each other for a moment. There was no way that this conversation could end up going well. While Ashe didn’t leave the Blue Lions to side with Lonato last time, there was no telling how he’d react to the news of them getting involved directly.

Bilet took the initiative and knocked on Ashe’s door. They had no plan going in. Battles were easier to plan for. Tactics and weapon matchups could all be memorized and played out. Conversations and emotions were unpredictable and therefore more difficult, at least to the twins.

Ashe opened the door, clearly surprised to see his professors standing outside. “Good morning, Professors,” he greeted. “Was there something you needed?”

“We just got word of our mission for this month,” Bilet said.

“Oh, are we having a class meeting now on it?” Ashe asked. “I’m sorry, I was unaware! I can be ready in a few minutes. Are we meeting in the classroom?”

Byleth shook her head. “No, we were going to go over it with the rest of the class tomorrow. We wanted to talk to you first.”

Ashe’s eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “Is something wrong?”

Bilet and Byleth glanced at each other, unsure of how exactly to go about this. “This is a better conversation to have in private. We don’t mean to intrude, but may we come inside?” Bilet asked.

Ashe opened the door for them to enter. The twins didn’t go too far into the room, not wanting to intrude on Ashe’s space.

“Why do you need to talk to me first?” Ashe asked. “I assumed Dimitri would receive mission details before the rest of us, since he’s our house leader.”

“Ashe… this month, we are accompanying the Knights of Seiros to oversee the aftermath of a vanguard unit quelling a rebellion against the church,” Byleth started.

“The rebellion is taking place in the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus. Lady Rhea doesn’t expect that we’ll have to engage in combat, but the lord leading the rebellion is your adoptive father, Lord Lonato,” Bilet finished.

Ashe stared at the two of them, his mouth open in disbelief. “No… no, this must be a mistake.”

“Ashe, we’re so sorry,” Byleth apologized. “We tried to request a different mission, but we were denied.”

“Please, Professors, this must be some mistake,” Ashe begged. “Lonato would never raise arms against the church!”

“Is there nothing you can think of that would lead him to do something like this?” Bilet asked.

“No, he never said anything about it to me,” Ashe whispered, shaking his head. 

“We know this must be hard for you to hear,” Byleth said. “If you need to take some time away from class to collect your thoughts, you’re more than welcome to.”

“Thank you for letting me know before everyone else,” Ashe said, wiping away the tears that began to fall in an attempt to hide how distraught he was. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to be alone for now.”

“Of course,” Byleth nodded.

“Would you like us to bring you anything from the dining hall?” Bilet asked.

Ashe shook his head. “No. Thank you for the offer, but I’m not very hungry at the moment.”

“Let us know if you need anything,” Byleth said.

Ashe nodded silently as the twins left his room. Nothing about his behavior had either of them worried that he’d run off, but they still didn’t feel comfortable forcing him along on this mission. Even though they already broke the news to him, the feeling of dread they shared remained as they began to wonder if the battle would play out any differently with Ashe’s presence this time around.

**********

Neither of the Eisner twins were surprised over Ashe’s absence the next day. Byleth was relieved to see that he was taking time to process the news instead of forcing himself to carry on like nothing was wrong. The rest of the class settled in, confused about their missing classmate.

“Alright everyone, settle in,” Bilet said. “We have important information regarding our mission for this month.”

“Professor Bilet, shouldn’t we wait for Ashe to arrive before going over such vital information?” Dimitri asked.

“It’s not like Ashe to skip class,” Annette muttered. “I hope he’s not ill.”

“Maybe he overslept?” Mercedes asked. “Should one of us go and fetch him?”

“Ashe already knows about the upcoming mission,” Byleth announced. “He will be taking some time away from class for a bit.”

“Is he alright?” Ingrid asked.

“Our mission this month is to join the Knights of Seiros in overseeing the results of their efforts to halt a rebellion against the church that is being led by Lord Lonato,” Bilet announced.

“Lord Lonato?” Dimitri asked, clearly surprised at the news of a lord from the kingdom rebelling against the church.

“Why would such a kind man like Lord Lonato suddenly raise an army against the Church of Seiros?” Mercedes asked.

“That, we do not know,” Bilet lied. Only he and Byleth knew of Lonato’s motivations at this point in time, but since they couldn’t reveal how they knew such information, they had to keep quiet about it. 

“There are times when one must take up their blade, even if there’s no chance of winning, but this is downright senseless. Lord Lonato knows better,” Dimitri argued.

“We know that since this is a lord from Faerghus, this is a very personal mission to you all,” Byleth said, trying to quell the rising emotions from everyone. “My brother and I tried to request a different mission, but our request was denied.”

“Can you not speak to Professor Hanneman or Professor Manuela and ask them to trade missions with us?” Ingrid asked.

Bilet shook his head. “Lady Rhea made it very clear that we are the ones who must fulfill this quest.”

“We will be training extra hard this month, as well as pushing you all to take the beginner level exams,” Byleth announced. Last time, they waited until after the fight against Lonato to test the Black Eagles, but that was because they hadn’t expected any fighting to happen. They knew better this time around. “Unlike the bandits we just fought, those in Lord Lonato’s army will be properly trained. While you all are from the kingdom and are friends with Ashe, we cannot go in expecting Lord Lonato’s army to go easy on you guys.”

“Since we’re heading to Castle Gaspard, that means we’ll be passing through Magdred Way. Lucky for us, this time of the year it shouldn’t be too foggy there. However, since we’re erring on the side of caution, we’ll be spending time working on fighting while holding torches,” Bilet added. When they scrambled to pass out torches to the Black Eagles last time, fighting while holding their light source proved to be troublesome. They needed to make sure the Blue Lions were more prepared this time around.

Annette raised her hand. “Professor Byleth, you mentioned beginner level exams. Are we selecting what we should test into, or are you two deciding for us?”

“We’ll offer suggestions, but in the end it’s up to you, assuming you qualify for what you want to test into,” Byleth answered.

“When will the exams be held?” Felix asked.

“Sometime in the next week or two,” Byleth said.

“Even though combat is unlikely, we expect all of you to take this training seriously,” Bilet added. “We can offer advice, teach you all new skills, and come up with a dozen different strategies to keep you guys safe in battle, but in the end, the one utilizing all of those things in a fight is you. We will always do our best to keep you safe, but you are your first and last line of defense. Remember that.”

The classroom fell silent as Bilet’s words sank in. He wished he could feel bad about scaring them all into taking their class seriously, but he knew all too well that no matter how many times Divine Pulse turned back the hands of time, there was no escaping the war that stole so many of their lives. All he could do was prepare them for what was to come, and pray it would be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Sorry this chapter’s a little shorter. I’ll see you all next week!


	11. Faint Lights Pass

“Castle Gaspard, eh?” Jerlat questioned. Bilet and Byleth were trying to fill their father in on their upcoming mission over lunch in his office. They decided to make it a thing with their dad where they’d all get together whenever they all had time. Thankfully, he was back at Garreg Mach after returning from a mission Rhea sent him on.

“Have you ever been there?” Bilet asked.

Their dad nodded, setting down his drink. “Yeah, once before. It was many years ago, at the request of the son of that family.”

“His biological son, or his adoptive son?” Byleth asked.

“Biological,” their dad clarified. “Christophe, I think his name was.”

“Lonato’s adoptive son is in our class, so I wasn’t sure,” Byleth said before taking a bite of her stew.

Their dad stared at the two of them, confused. “You’re not taking the kid with you, right?”

“Lady Rhea has made it very clear that the Blue Lions are to all partake in this mission,” Bilet sighed.

Jeralt shook his head, frowning at the news. “No kid should have to witness a parent die.”

The twins said nothing. They both agreed with their father completely, but neither wanted to speak on the matter. They couldn’t exactly explain that they had both watched him die twice, and would most likely have to watch it happen a third time.

“What teaching duties do the two of you have to fulfill this week?” their dad asked, tearing off a chunk of bread.

“We’re having everyone take the beginner level exams later today,” Bilet said.

“So soon?”

Byleth nodded. “We want them to be prepared in case we have to fight Lonato’s army.”

“I thought you said that you weren’t fighting, just observing?” their dad asked.

“Yeah, but you never know what’ll happen once we go out there. Even if we don’t have to fight Lord Lonato’s army, bandits could always make a surprise appearance. We want to make sure the student’s are ready to handle anything,” Bilet explained.

Their dad shrugged. “Fair enough.”  
“What does Rhea have you doing for the betterment of the church this month?” Byleth asked, barely trying to mask the sarcasm in her voice.

“Observing new recruits to see if they’re worth anything,” their dad chuckled. “Not as exciting as silencing a rebellion, I’ll tell you that much.”

“Trade you,” Bilet offered.

“You’d trust me with the responsibility of watching over your brats?”

Bilet shrugged. “You did a pretty fine job raising us, I’d say.”

“Yeah, ‘cause I _raised_ you,” their dad laughed. “You two learned from me at a young age, and could hold your own before you were your students’ ages. You send me out to fight with them, I’m going to assume they’re fully capable of taking care of themselves and just hang back while they do all of the dirty work.”

“I mean, you did that at Remire Village,” Byleth pointed out.

“And you two did a fine job at keeping those noble nuisances alive.”

Bilet rolled his eyes while Byleth smiled at their dad’s sense of humor. The lunch break was nearly over, but neither of them wanted to leave. The days they had left with their father kept ticking away, and they wanted to cherish every moment they had left with him for as long as they could.

Their dad stacked the empty dishes and pulled them over to his side of the table. “I got clean up duty this time. You two go make sure your brats are ready to pass those exams. Maybe squeeze in some last minute training while you’re at it. Sitting behind a desk all day will dull your skills faster than anything.”

“You got it, dad,” Byleth chuckled as she stood up.

“We’ll make sure to fill you in on how they all did during the mission when we return,” Bilet added.

“If any of them do exceptionally well, send them my way, you hear?”

“At least wait until they’ve graduated before recruiting any of our students,” Byleth sighed.

Their dad smiled. “Deal.”

The twins left their dad’s office and began making their way back towards the classroom. They had told their class before the break started to take an extra hour to study before the exam. Both Bilet and Byleth were curious to see which test they would all decide to take. Not everyone qualified for more than one test, but a few of them had a couple options open to them.

“I’m going to head to the training grounds and see if anyone is there. They might need some extra help before the exam,” Byleth said, pointing in the opposite direction of the classroom.

“Sounds good,” Bilet nodded. “I’ll go make sure everything is set up for them.”

The two of them went their separate ways. Byleth began to mentally bet on who’d actually be at the training grounds this soon after lunch. On the way there, she spotted Sylvain, who appeared to be lost. How he managed to get lost after being at the monastery for nearly two months, Byleth wasn’t sure.

“Looking for someone?” Byleth asked as she approached the young nobleman.

“Oh Professor! Have you seen Felix around?” Sylvain asked. “I swear, as soon as you take your eyes off of him, poof! He’s gone.”

“I haven’t seen him since class earlier, but I’d be willing to bet he’s over at the training grounds,” Byleth said.

Sylvain slapped his palm against his forehead. “Of course that’s where he’d be. Sorry for bothering you, Professor. Thanks for your help.”

“It’s not a problem at all,” Byleth chuckled. “I’m actually heading there now if you want to accompany me.”

“How could I say no to such a beautiful lady such as yourself?” Sylvain smiled.

“I’m still not interested, Sylvain,” Byleth said, shooting him down.

“Ah, but that’s what makes you so _interesting_ , Professor,” Sylvain teased. Byleth just rolled her eyes. “Most women can’t resist my charms the way you do.”

“It’s a talent, I know,” she deadpanned.

Byleth shoved open the large door leading into the training grounds. Sure enough, Felix was off to the side, polishing his sword. Catherine was there as well, sparring against another knight. Off to the side, Byleth spotted Edelgard and Hubert engaged in a hushed conversation. Why they picked the training grounds to have their discussion, Byleth had no idea.

“Hey, Felix! You free?” Sylvain asked, immediately ditching Byleth to run over to pester his friends. “You don’t look very busy. Come on, let’s go find some girls to chat up! A little pre-test encouragement.”

“Chat with them yourself. I’m about to start my training,” Felix said, shooting him down.

“Come on now, don’t be like that,” SYlvain whined. “How long have we known each other?”

“Long enough, if you ask me.”

Byleth decided to leave them to their bickering. Why Felix never walked away from Sylvain despite clearly being annoyed by him, she couldn’t figure out. She decided to focus on Catherine’s fight. The poor knight she was up against didn’t stand a chance. Byleth almost felt bad for the girl. She watched as Catherine quickly disarmed her, forcing the knight to surrender. Catherine smiled and reached down to pick up the fallen weapon, handing it back to her opponent. Byleth walked up to the esteemed knight, hoping that talking to her would prevent Edelgard from approaching her instead. 

“As impressive as that was to watch, I’m hoping I won’t need a live demonstration next week,” Byleth said, trying to keep the air light. Apart from seeing her in the audience chambers, her previous encounters with Catherine had all been far less pleasant.

_“I wish you had never shown your face at Garreg Mach.”_

“Here to train?” Catherine asked. She hardly looked as if she had done any physical work, despite sparring not even a moment ago. “You really are as hardworking as they say.”

“That’s right. I’m a force of nature,” Byleth joked.

“Maybe the gossip’s wrong. Hard working people usually don’t like to make a big fuss about it,” Catherine laughed.

Byleth frowned, unsure of how serious the knight was. Catherine slapped her back, causing Byleth to stumble forward a bit from the force. “Lighten up, kid! I’m only teasing.”

“Kid?” Byleth asked. “You’re only a few years older than I am.”

Catherine shrugged. “Eh, unless you can best me in a sparring match, you’re still a kid to me.”

“I said that’s enough!” Felix suddenly snapped, his voice ringing out from across the room.

Byleth turned to see what was going on. Sylvain raised his hands in surrender as Felix glared daggers at the nobleman. She watched carefully, afraid that she’d have to step in and break up a fight. 

“Hey, sorry!” Sylvain apologized quickly.

“Aren’t those your students?” Catherine asked, staring at the two boys.

“Unfortunately,” Byleth muttered. Part of her was embarrassed that this was Catherine’s first introduction to her class, but the other part of her was concerned as to what was happening between Felix and Sylvain.

“I’m tired of holding my tongue! You’re reckless in both your personal affairs and in battle, and you’re always prattling on about women, as if you’re incapable of thinking about or discussing anything else!” Felix snapped.

“Well, if a man sees a pretty girl, he can’t just let her pass without paying her a compliment,” Sylvain said, trying to defend himself. “That would be rude.”

“What in the world are they arguing about?” Catherine asked.

“I’ve been wondering that myself,” Byleth admitted. Felix’s short temper didn’t come at a surprise to her, but it seemed unlike him to cause a scene like this. Even Edelgard and Hubert appeared to be watching the two of them argue at this point.

“You never consider how your actions hurt others, or how you might be holding them,” Felix continued ranting.

“That’s never my intention. Come on, you know me better than that. I’m not really-” Sylvain sighed. “Look, if that's the impression I’ve given you, then I’m truly sorry.”

Felix just stared at Sylvain for a moment before huffing and storming out of the training grounds, Sylvain following after him. Byleth sighed, figuring it was up to her to make sure the two of them didn’t end up killing each other.

“Sorry, I was going to ask to spar with you, but I think I need to go handle whatever that was,” Byleth apologized.

“Some other time then?” Catherine asked.

“Of course,” Byleth nodded.

Catherine went off to ask the knight from earlier to spar with her some more. Byleth headed towards the door, but unfortunately, before she could chase down her own two students, Edelgard and Hubert made their way towards the door, clearly hoping to catch Byleth before she could leave.

For a moment, Byleth froze. She had been hoping to avoid them, but she should’ve known that was a pointless wish. She reminded herself that Edelgard at this point only held the title of princess, and that Hubert was not the head of house Vestra yet. Byleth herself at this point in time would be stronger than the two of them, and she could trust Catherine at this point to back her up if the two Black Eagle students dared to try anything. Her fear of the two nobles still lingered close to the surface, but it was less intense as she repeated those details in her head over and over again.

“We heard of the rebellion taking place in the kingdom,” Edelgard said, jumping straight to the point.

“Something about this situation doesn’t feel right. Why would a minor lord raise an army against a foe he cannot possibly hope to defeat?” Hubert asked.

Byleth took a breath to steady herself. “Perhaps he has something against the church?”

“Lord Lonato must know that his efforts are futile, and yet he can’t help but fight,” Edelgard hummed. “If I were in that situation, I would do whatever it took to ensure victory. You can count on that.”

Byleth eyed the princess carefully. “In that situation meaning in our place, fighting for the church against Lord Lonato?”

Edelgard paused for a moment, not expecting the clarifying question. “What else could I possibly be referring to?” she asked, deflecting Byleth’s question.

“Just making sure the rebellion hasn’t seeped in through the monastery walls,” Byleth said, surprised at how even her voice was.

“Does something make you think it has?” Hubert asked, his eyes narrowing in suspicion over Byleth’s sudden questioning.

Unsure of where to go from there, Byleth forced herself to smile. “I’m just messing with the two of you,” she laughed, praying it sounded realistic. “Like you said, the rebellion we’re dealing with is in the kingdom.”

A brief look of relief flashed in Edelgard’s eyes, but she composed herself fairly quickly, covering up her true emotions. She let out a small chuckle. “Professor, you shouldn’t scare us like that! I was afraid you were about to turn us over to the church for a crime we didn’t commit!”

“I’m sorry, I shall refrain from having fun in the future,” Byleth said, her tone shifting to be more serious.

“It’s nice to see you loosen up a bit, Professor,” Edelgard said, a small smile on her face. “You were so stiff and quiet when you first came to Garreg Mach. I didn’t know you even knew how to smile, honestly.”

“Guess I’m just full of surprises,” Byleth chuckled. It was strange how quickly all of that fear she had before seemed to melt away. Talking to Edelgard was surprisingly easy, like catching up with an old friend. That’s what she was after all, whether Byleth wanted to admit it or not. Rhea keeping secrets was part of the reason she decided to follow Edelgard in the Holy Tomb, but in all honesty…

“I’m sorry to cut this conversation short, but I have to go make sure the two that ran out of here haven’t killed each other,” Byleth said, stepping around the two Black Eagle students.

“Having trouble keeping your class in order?” Hubert asked, smirking ever so slightly.

“Technically class isn’t in session at this moment,” Byleth argued.

Hubert chuckled, a sound Byleth hadn’t heard in quite some time. She quickly waved goodbye before hurrying out of the training grounds. Of course, Sylvain and Felix were nowhere to be found, but they were the least of her concerns at the moment.

“ _I’m impressed,_ ” Sothis praised. “ _Not once did you let your fear get the best of your during that conversation!_ ”

Byleth said nothing as she headed straight for her room. She couldn’t let anyone see her. This wasn’t like before. There was no suffocating guilt, no feeling of flames gracing her skin. Just memories racing in her mind. The second her door was closed, she squeezed her eyes shut and pressed the palms of her hands to her eyes, trying desperately to block out the images that flashed behind her eyelids. Out of context, they weren’t bad memories, but the feelings they brought back-

_“Ugh, I’m so sick of it all,” Edelgard groaned. “There is so much to be done, yet all I encounter are new problems and pitfalls. I swear, sometimes I wish I could just spend one day, just a single day, doing absolutely nothing and just gorge myself on sweets!”_

_Byleth smiled. It was nice to see such a human side to Edelgard. The war kept her so high strung that Byleth almost didn’t recognize her after being gone for five years. Seeing her complain and voice aloud her wishes in such an unfiltered way was refreshing._

_“Let’s do just that,” Byleth said, grabbing Edelgard’s hand in excitement._

_The Emperor stared at Byleth’s hand on her own. For a moment, Byleth wondered if the sudden contact was too much, but Edelgard looked back up at the former mercenary and smiled ever so slightly. “Do you mean it?”_

_The eagerness in Edelgard’s voice made Byleth giggle. She had only been back for a month, but she could tell that the poor girl desperately needed a break. Who knew the last time she had taken one? “I do.”_

_“Oh, just the thought of that makes me happy,” Edelgard sighed longingly. “But…”_

Byleth couldn’t tell if she was crying from the memory, or from the pressure of her pressing her palms against her eyes. She wiped away the tears and tried to calm herself down. Before, she had been overwhelmed by the negative memories that plagued her mind. If the positive ones were affecting her now too…

“ _Should I let your brother know where you are?_ ” Sothis asked, her voice much gentler than Byleth was used to.

“Is he looking for me?” Byleth asked.

“ _No but you appeared to be in pain a moment ago,_ ” Sothis said.

Byleth shook her head and wiped her eyes again to make sure all of her tears were gone. “I’ll be fine. Just a memory I had forgotten about.”

“ _From your time in the war?_ ” Sothis asked.

“From the time right before I rejoined it actually,” Byleth clarified. That conversation between her and Edelgard had taken place just before their first battle since her return. It had been so long ago…

“I need to go find Let,” Byleth muttered, mostly to herself. “I’m sure the exams are about to start soon. He’s probably wondering where I ran off to.”

“ _I did offer to inform him of your whereabouts a moment ago,_ ” Sothis sighed.

Byleth took a deep breath before leaving her room and heading off towards the Blue Lion’s classroom. She never did help out any of her students like she said she would, but then again, the only two that had been present at the training grounds didn’t seem to need her help. As expected, Bilet was sitting behind the desk, organizing all of the tests the students could choose to take.

“Need some help?” Byleth asked.

“I figured you’d still be off giving training lessons,” Bilet said.

“Felix was the only one who seemed interested in training, but he and Sylvain got into it and ran off,” Byleth sighed.

“What were they bickering about this time?”

“I think Sylvain’s obsession with women?”

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Bilet chuckled. “Think they’ll show up for the exam?”

“Unless they literally killed each other, I don’t see why they wouldn’t,” Byleth shrugged.

Bilet looked up from the desk and frowned at Byleth’s appearance. “Have you been crying?”

Byleth mentally cursed. She hadn’t thought to check to see if her eyes were red. “I’m fine now, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Did something happen?” Bilet pushed.

“Just ran into Edelgard and Hubert at the training grounds,” she shrugged. “Talking to them brought back some memories I hadn’t thought about in awhile.”

“Do… do you need to talk about it?” Bilet asked, hesitating a bit. On one hand, he didn’t want to know the details of his sister’s relationship with the enemy back when she sided with them, but if she needed to talk about it, he knew he was her only real option, and he didn’t want to leave her alone to struggle.

The image of Byleth holding onto Edelgard’s hand while the Emperor smiled back warmly at her flashed in her mind again. “No. I’m fine, I promise,” she swore.

Bilet looked like he wanted to press for more details, but a few of the Blue Lions began filtering in, ready to take their beginner level exams. He sighed, deciding to drop the topic for the time being.

“Everyone take a seat,” he instructed as the last of their students wandered in. “Professor Byleth and I are going to let you know your options for this round of exams. You’ll let us know your pick, we’ll hand out the appropriate test, and that’s that. We’ve observed all of your combat skills and decided which tests you qualify for based on what you’ve shown us in training.”

“We expect all of you to pass today since we leave for Castle Gaspard next week,” Byleth added. “There won’t be time for a retest between now and then, so any retests will have to take place after we return.”

On that note, the twins each picked up a stack of tests and began walking around, handing them out to each student. Only one week remained before they’d inevitably clash blades with Lord Lonato’s army. Hopefully, with the weapons certifications that came with passing the beginner level exams, they’d be prepared to take on the small army. In the end though, it was all just practice for the real war that was to come.

**********

As the class marched towards Castle Gaspard, Catherine decided to hang back from her own men to walk with the students. Dimitri chose to accompany her, smiling at her mere presence.

“I have to say, it’s a real honor to accompany such a brave and distinguished knight,” he praised. “After all, you are none other than Catherine, wielder of the Thunderbrand!”

“That’s right, you do wield one of the Heroes’ Relics,” Byleth said, eyeing the sword at Catherine’s side. Instinctively, she reached at her own side for the Sword of the Creator, feeling empty without it in her grasp, only to remember that it was still locked away for the time being. She’d be reunited with it soon rough, but she still longed for it in battle.

“I’m sorry, would you mind explaining Heroes’ Relics to me?” Ashe asked. “I’ve learned about them before, but I’d appreciate the reminder.”

Bilet could recognize the request for a distraction. While he’d normally tell his students to focus before a battle, he understood Ashe’s desire to keep his thoughts busy at this time.

“A long time ago, the goddess bestowed divine weapons upon ten heroes, which were passed down to their descendants,” Bilet began to explain.

“I wasn’t aware that you were studying up on the church’s history,” Byleth interrupted. It was Catherine who originally explained the Heroes’ Relics to them, so it was strange to hear Bilet, who never wielded such a weapon himself, speak of them like he knew all.

“Seteth suggested that I study up on the Church of Seiros, so I’ve been doing just that,” Bilet shrugged.

“It’s an honor to wield Thunderbrand, but I’m afraid there won’t be any chance for that today,” Catherine sighed. “Our mission is to help clean up the aftermath, not to fight.”

“I still don’t know why Lonato would incite such a reckless rebellion,” Ashe muttered, dropping his gaze to stare at the ground. 

“You should know more about that than any of us, Ashe,” Catherine said.

“Catherine,” Byleth hissed between her teeth, trying to get the knight to shut up.

“Well I don’t,” Ashe admitted. “Lonato never mentioned anything of the like to me!”

“He probably didn’t want you getting caught up in his own personal vendetta,” Dimitri said in an attempt to comfort his fellow classmate.

“He was always so kind. I just don’t understand…” Ashe whispered. “I guess if I had to make an assumption as to what this was about, I’d say it has to do with Christophe, but I can’t say for certain.”

“Tell me, how much do you two know about the Tragedy of Duscur?” Catherine asked, turning her attention to the two professors. 

Byleth glanced back at Dedue, but the Duscur man gave no reaction to the mention of the tragedy. “It’s been explained to me,” she said.

“I don’t know the details of it,” Bilet admitted.

“It happened about four years ago,” Catherine started. She looked to Dimitri, as if asking for permission to keep speaking.

The prince shook his head. “It’s okay, Catherine. Please, go on.”

The knight sighed, her gaze far off. “It’s when the king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus was… he was murdered by the people of Duscur. Lord Lonato’s son, Christophe, was accused of being involved in that awful affair. The church found him guilty, and had him executed for his crimes.”

“If you don’t mind me asking, why was the king a target?” Bilet asked.

“Excuse me,” Dimitri muttered before falling back to walk with the rest of his class. Byleth didn’t miss the glare from Ingrid when Dedue went to comfort the young prince. It didn’t appear to be jealousy, but Byleth didn’t have time to delve into that mess just yet.

“King Lambert was attempting a major political reform,” Catherine continued. “Needless to say, he had many enemies. Ever since that incident, Lord Lonato has harbored resentment toward the church. More specifically, his grudge is also against the one who turned Christophe over to them.”

Byleth had forgotten that Catherine had been the one to turn over Christophe all those years ago. How that detail slipped her mind, she wasn’t sure.

“Report!” one of the knights shouted, running over to Catherine. “The enemy is approaching! They can’t be avoided. Their numbers are far greater than we predicted, and they used the fog to slip past the knight’s perimeter!”

“Shit,” Catherine cursed. “It looks like our mission just changed.” She turned to face the students. “Everyone, prepare for battle!”

“If they’re using fog, distribute torches to a few of the students,” Bilet ordered the knight who delivered the report.

“Are you sure that’s wise, Professor?” Catherine asked as the knight ran off to collect the requested supplies. “Even some of the seasoned knights here struggle at combat while also carrying a torch.”

“We’ve trained for this,” Byleth reassured her. “They can handle it.”

Catherine smiled and unsheathed Thunderbrand. “That’s good to hear. Glad to know you two have prepared them well!”

Deduce, Annette, Mercedes, and Felix all took a lit torch from the knight just as the fog rolled in. It was heavy and thick, almost unnaturally so. Bilet took a torch as well, surveying the area. If they could find the mage causing this and take them out right away, it’d be a much easier fight.

“If we take down Lord Lonato, those fighting alongside him should surrender,” Catherine said, squinting in an attempt to see through the fog. “Damn, it’s impossible to tell how many of them are out there.”

“I can hear shouting from up ahead,” Dimitri pointed out. “Are the knights already battling?”

“Everyone, proceed with caution!” Byleth warned. “You all have been trained for this.”

The Blue Lions all readied their weapons and paired up with someone holding a torch. Byleth and Bilet unsheathed their own blades and stood next to one another. The sound of metal clashing and knights shouting was the only indicator that there was a battle taking place. The fog danced around their feet, and as Catherine ran ahead to join her men, they watched the fog consume her, and waited silently for the fight to reach them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Next week is the battle against Lonato. I'm still trying to figure out the pacing between battles, since a month takes place between each one. If parts feel rushed or feel too dragged out, please let me know so I can work to make adjustments for future chapters! I appreciate all of you taking the time to read this self-indulgent fix it fic.


	12. Scars That We Can't Erase

From out of the fog, one of Lonato’s men rushed in, sword at the ready. Thanks to the light from the torches, Ingrid managed to dodge out of the way, but she was unable to counter before her attacker slipped back under the cover of the fog. They could still hear the church soldiers clashing with Lonato’s army up ahead. Just like last time, the men and women fighting for Lonato dawned simple armor and blades. They weren’t up against trained soldiers; they were fighting kingdom citizens to the death. 

Byleth moved quickly to block an attacker from getting a hit on her brother. Bilet backed up a step to give her room to fend off the enemy swordsman. 

“Stand down!” Byleth demanded, shoving him back.

The swordsman wiped the sweat from his brow, glaring at the twin professors. “You expect us to do nothing while you try to kill our lord?” he snapped.

“Tell your lord to stand down!” Bilet shouted. “This isn’t a battle that needs to happen.”

Talking didn’t seem to be an option. It wasn’t an option last time either, but the twins had hoped that Lonato knowing Ashe was on the battlefield somewhere would be enough to at least get him to listen. There was the possibility that the lord was unaware that his adoptive son was present, but that seemed unlikely. Byleth clashed swords with him again, but she had the upper hand and downed him quickly. His body thudded against the dirt, sword still in hand.

“Why, Lonato?” she could hear Ashe ask from somewhere behind her. “Why did you drag so many others into this?”

“Change of plans,” Byleth muttered. She reached her hand out towards her brother. “Bilet, give me your torch.”

“What are you doing?” Bilet asked. He didn’t argue though and handed the torch over to her.

“I’m going back to cover Ashe. I’m not leaving that poor boy out here without one of us to watch over him. I’ll send Annette your way. You two go find the dark mage controlling this fog quickly,” Byleth explained quickly. She took the torch and headed back, away from the front lines of their group. She sheathed her sword as she walked, knowing that if she wanted to be of any use from that far back, she’d have to switch to using magic. Not her preferred way of fighting, but it was a small price to pay for keeping Ashe safe and focused.

“Professor Byleth?” Annette asked, surprised by the sight of her teacher. “Did something happen?”

“There’s been a slight change of plans. You’re going up to join Bilet,” Byleth instructed. “Ashe, you’re with me.”

An arrow flew past the trio. All of the light from the two torches was putting a large target on their backs. “Go, Annette! He’s just up ahead!”

“R-right!” she stuttered before taking off to find her other professor. Byleth didn’t like sending her across their small section of the field alone, but she needed to trust that the young mage would be okay. 

“Why did the plan change?” Ashe asked. His hands were shaking, and Byleth noticed that he didn’t even have an arrow notched yet. The last place this boy’s mind was right now was on the fight before them.

“Going against family on the battlefield is hard,” Byleth said, trying to keep an eye out for the archer that attacked them. She wished that she could tell Ashe just how much she understood how he felt in this moment. The sound of blades clashing echoed in her mind, but they weren’t from any fight that was currently happening. She held her tongue and tried to force out the memories of her and Bilet’s fights during the war. Now was not the time to lose focus. 

“I’m going to try and keep you out of the fight, okay?” Byleth said, glancing back at the young archer. “Don’t shoot a single arrow that you don’t mean to fire, you hear me?”

“But who will watch your back then?” Ashe asked.

No one watched her back during the war. Even some of her closest allies back then wanted her dead by their own hands. “As long as you don’t shoot me yourself, I’ll be fine,” she teased. She meant it as a joke to lighten the mood, but that’s how she felt going into most battles. As long as Hubert or Jeritza didn’t stab her in the back, she felt confident making it through most fights back then.

Another arrow whizzed by, barely missing Byleth’s head. She snapped her attention over towards where the arrow came from, firing back with her basic fire spell. She must’ve missed though, because a third arrow came right back at her in response. Thankfully, her reflexes hadn’t dulled from sitting behind a desk all day, like her father said they would. Before she could attack blindly again though, Ashe grabbed two arrows from his quiver. He lit one of them on fire and shot it in the direction of the enemy archer. The light it gave off wasn’t much, but it was enough to make out the vague shadow of a person. Ashe then notched his second, unlit arrow, and fired it off at the figure. The sound of someone grunting in pain followed by the dull thud of them hitting the ground could be heard over the distant fighting. 

Ashe grabbed another arrow from his quiver and notched it, readying his next attack. “I’m not going to put this all on you,” he declared. “Lonato made his choice. This is my choice.”

The fog suddenly began to disappear, and Byleth let out a sigh of relief. Bilet and Annette must’ve found the dark mage already. The red glow of Thunderbrand could be seen from just a little ways ahead. Byleth watched in awe as Catherine took down enemy after enemy. Her hand curled into a fist at her side, trying desperately to grab for a sword that she didn’t yet possess. From out of the fog, Lonato came into view. Ashe gasped at the sight of his adoptive father. Hearing he was the cause of the rebellion was one thing, but seeing him lead his men against the church in person was a completely different feeling. 

Byleth discarded her torch, kicking dirt over it to smother the flame. She reached back and grabbed hold of Ashe’s arm. The kid was trembling in the grasp. From what she could see, the Blue Lions were relatively unharmed, with the church soldiers facing far more injuries, as well as casualties. The first time they dealt with the rebellion, Lonato’s men challenged the church soldiers and students equally. Byleth wondered if Lonato was ordering his men to focus more on the church soldiers this time around, since the students they were up against were from the kingdom.

“Don’t forget, our goal here is to take down Lonato here and now!” Catherine shouted, rallying her men.

Leading the back end of the fight was Bilet, Dimitri, and Felix, with Annette, Dedue, Sylvain all there to back them up. Catherine charged ahead with a few of her soldiers, while Ingrid stuck close to Mercedes, dedicating herself to keeping their field medic safe. By the look of things, everyone was holding their own with little to no issue, which wasn’t too surprising. Most of the students had received more training in the last three months than most of Lonato’s men have had in their entire lives. 

“We don’t have to move up with them,” Byleth said, looking back at Ashe.

Ashe shook his head. “No, what if they need you? I can’t keep you back here.”

“My brother is more than capable of leading them,” Byleth reassured him. It wasn’t the first time he led a small army to fight off those who went against the church.

“No,” Ashe repeated. “I refuse to sit back while the rest of my classmates put their lives on the line. I was thinking actually… Do you think I can get close enough to Lonato to talk to him? Maybe I can convince him to call off his men and surrender?”

That was a plan Byleth hadn’t considered much. Ashe acting as a moderator for both sides was something she had thought of as a possibility, but she deemed it too dangerous to ever give it any serious thought. However, if Lonato was already having his men focus on the church soldiers out of concern for his adoptive son, then maybe he could be reasoned with this time around.

“If that’s what you want to do, let’s catch up to the rest of our group so I can let Bilet know, and we can come up with a plan to get you in close safely,” Byleth said. “Stay close to me.”

The pair took off running. Thankfully, there weren’t many enemies this far back, due to the church soldiers keeping them occupied. They were able to make it up to the front of the Blue Lions rather quickly with no difficulty. Bliet turned around when he heard them approach, confused as to what they were doing.

“Ashe thinks he can convince Lonato to surrender,” Byleth said. Next to her, Ashe was breathing heavily. She made a quick mental note to focus on endurance training more when they got back to Garreg Mach.

Bilet frowned at the idea. “That’s incredibly dangerous.”

“I just need to get close enough to talk to him,” Ashe said.

“Lonato’s men aren’t targeting the students as heavily. Most of their focus is on the church soldiers and Catherine,” Byleth pointed out. “I think he knows Ashe is here.”

“We’re not sending in a student to talk to the leader of a rebellion,” Bilet argued.

“Let, if Ashe is successful, there will be far fewer casualties,” Byleth pushed. 

_“Of course, if the boy is unsuccessful, you do have the option to change your mind,”_ Sothis pointed out.

“I’m not going to risk Ashe dying in the hopes of Lonato lying down arms!” Bilet snapped.

 _“Then I would suggest that you not let it get that far,”_ Sothis hummed.

Byleth understood his hesitations. Watching Ashe die, even if they went back and undid it, would still be traumatizing for the two of them to witness. It was already a struggle for Byleth to push aside her war memories on a regular basis. She knew now that Bilet also had his own struggles when it came to dealing with their past. 

“We won’t let it get that far,” Byleth whispered, trying to reassure her brother.

Bilet sighed. It was hard to argue against both his sister and the goddess in their heads. “Ashe, the second I say to pull back, you better listen. I don’t care if you think you have control of the situation or not. The moment we say run, you run.”

Ashe nodded, confident that his plan would work. In truth, Byleth wouldn’t have even humored the idea if Bilet wasn’t capable of turning back time. The fight itself was going well, with Lonato’s men going easy on the students. Even if Ashe’s plan didn’t work, Bilet going back in time once wasn’t too much of a risk stamina wise. 

Catherine was doing most of the work when it came to fighting. Mercedes was trying her best to heal the injured church soldier’s further back, with Ingrid helping a few of them limp over. Dedue and Dimitri were both facing off against one of the few enemy fighters that had heavy armor, but their attacks weren’t doing too much. Annette was able to come in and knock the armored knight back with what appeared to be a gale force spell. Having all of their students take the beginner level exams before the fight had been a good idea on the twin’s part. 

“Catherine!” Byleth called out, trying to get the knight’s attention.

She struck down another one of Lonato’s men before turning around. “What?”

“We’re going to try and convince Lonato to surrender!”

Catherine laughed and turned back to the fight. “That stubborn old man would never! He’s lost all sense of justice. We’re not here to take him prisoner, we’re here to send him to meet his goddess!”

“Bilet, we have to move faster and get Ashe up there if this is going to work,” Byleth said, eyeing her brother.

“Right,” he nodded. “Blue Lions, we’re pushing ahead!”

The Blue Lions had been hanging back since they weren’t supposed to engage in combat in the first place, but the hopes of a peaceful surrender seemed to inspire them all. Mercedes finished healing the soldier she had been working on before leaving them to the church healers. She and Ingrid hurried to catch up to the rest of their class, helping guard the rear. Catherine herself was a one-person army, but since the soldiers were going easy on the students, they were able to pull ahead much quicker than the single Knight of Seiros.

There was a ruined building Lonato was leading his army from. The seasoned lord stared out across the battlefield from atop his horse, lance in hand with two deadly tomahawks at his side. Dimitri and Sylvain shoved past two of Lonato’s men, clearing a path for Ashe to run forward. Byleth stood guard over her brother so he could watch Ashe closely, ready to go back in time in case things went south.

Lonato caught sight of his adoptive son and frowned, the cold look in his eyes melting ever so slightly. “Stand down, Ashe,” he warned. “I must destroy these evil-doers by any means necessary.”

No longer trembling, Ashe held his ground, staring Lonato down. “Please surrender, Lonato!” he begged. “Whatever your reasons for doing this, we can talk it out! This violence isn’t necessary!”

“Rhea is an infidel who has deceived the people and desecrated the goddess!” Lonato argued, his grip on his lance tightening. “We have virtue and the goddess herself on our side!”

“Even if all of that’s true, dragging the townsfolk into your mess like this isn’t right!” Ashe shouted. “You have a duty to protect them, not endanger their lives over a personal grudge you hold! Please, put an end to this and stand down!”

For a moment, Bilet and Byleth thought Ashe’s words convinced the old man. Lonato closed his eyes and sighed, suddenly looking far more exhausted than he did earlier when they saw him.

“Enough,” Lonato said. “If that is how you feel, then prepare yourself. I am putting an end to this, Ashe, but the end will come through victory, not a meaningless surrender!”

Lonato raised his lance, prepared to strike down his own son. Bilet went to go stop time, but before he could activate divine pulse, Catherine jumped in. She pulled Ashe back behind her and blocked Lonato’s attack with Thunderbrand. Ashe stared up at the Knight of Seiros in shock, not expecting her to come to his rescue. Or maybe his shock came from the fact that he didn’t think he’d even need rescue from the man he considered his father.

“Ashe!” Bilet called out.

Remembering his promise to his professors, Ashe scrambled to get back, his eyes wide with fear. Once he was close enough, Byleth grabbed the young boy and pulled him back closer to where Ingrid and Mercedes were. 

“It’s you,” Lonato said, his eyes trained on Catherine. “Thunderstrike Cassandra! It was your wretched zealotry that killed my son!” His voice boomed across the entire battlefield.

“The only name I answer to is Catherine!” the knight shouted back, a twinge of laughter in her voice. “Prepare to taste the blade of one who serves the goddess! You’re facing a Knight of Seiros!”

“The fog has cleared. Now, there’s nothing left to hide you or the filthy Central Church from the judgement of the goddess,” Lonatio said, the cold look returning to his eyes. “I will be the one to kill you today, no other!”

“You want to fight me?” Catherine asked. “So be it.”

Ashe tried to look past Byleth to watch the fight, but she turned him around, holding onto his shoulders tight to keep him in place.

“Watching won’t give you the closure you seek,” Byleth said, trying to keep her voice soft. “You did what you could. Whatever happens how, you cannot blame yourself for any of it.”

“She’s going to kill him!” Ashe cried out, trying to turn around.

Byleth kept hold of him, her father’s words running through her head. No child should have to witness their parent’s death, and while she didn’t comment on it at the time, she knew her father was right. To this day, the memory of her own father’s death was something that she couldn’t get out of her head. Knowing that she’d have to watch it happen a third time… She didn’t want Ashe to live witness something like that even once.

The sound of Lonato crying out in pain sounded out across the battlefield. Ashe wept, knowing his adoptive father had lost the duel. Byleth pulled him in close, letting him cry while she held onto him.

“Well done, everyone!” Catherine called out. “Let’s gather our troops and head back.”

Byleth’s hold on Ashe tightened. Her eyes locked with Bilet’s, the anger on her face clear as day. Whatever Rhea’s excuse for sending the Blue Lions on this mission was, Byleth didn’t care. She should’ve been comforting Ashe back at Garreg Mach where he could grieve in peace while the Black Eagles or Golden Deer dealt with the rebellion. Instead, everyone present was a witness to Ashe’s distraught, and all Byleth could do was hold onto him, and offer what little shelter she could from the harsh reality that was the battlefield. 

“Why…” Ashe whispered. “Why did this happen? Lonato was always such a kind man. Everyone in the village w-was so nice to me. And yet I… I…”

“Ashe,” Byleth said, trying to sooth the poor kid.

Ashe shook his head. “We had to- I had to, I know I had to- I know that! But still, what does that make me?”

“Ashe, you can’t beat yourself up over this,” Byleth said.

Ashe stepped back, hurrying to wipe the tears from his eyes. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be bothering you like this.”

“You’re not bothering anyone,” Byleth reassured him. “You’re allowed to have feelings about things, Ashe.”

“I’m going to go into town,” Ashe said, ignoring what Byleth said. “I have to make sure my brother and sister are okay.”

He rushed off, desperate to find what family he had left. Byleth wanted to have someone go with him, but she could tell he wanted to be alone. The fighting had stopped, so there was very little danger to him going off by himself. Byleth sighed heavily. As horrible as everything was, she was at least grateful to have emotions this time around to properly comfort her students. She went back to rejoin the class, and noticed Dimitri watching Ashe as he ran off, a look of concern for his fellow classmate in his eyes.

“That was my first time killing civilians. Those who I’m sworn to protect,” Dimitri admitted, sounded defeated.

“That is the reality of war,” Bilet frowned.

“Are you insane?” Dimitri snapped. Bilet blinked in shock, not expecting the sudden anger from the prince. “Those weren’t knights or soldiers, but fathers and sons! Mothers and daughters! We shouldn't have killed them. We should have found another way!”

“Dimitri, we tried to get Lonato to surrender,” Byleth said softly. “It didn’t work.”

“If Lord Lonato was unwilling to listen to Ashe, I doubt he would have listened to anyone else,” Ingrid said.

“I-” Dimitri stopped himself and shook his head. “I’m sorry. It’s not fair for me to blame any of you for the circumstance. I know that if we hadn’t… hadn’t done what we did, even more civilian lives would’ve been lost in an unnecessary war.”

_“This future of yours is built on a foundation of corpses and tears!”_

“At least, my mind understands that,” Dimitri continued. “But my heart… those in power, no matter the era, always claim they fight for a just cause. That they take life to protect it, but is it truly okay to take any life you please, all in the service of some implacable just cause?”

_“Must you continue to conquer? Continue to kill?”_

“Lord Lonato didn’t take up arms out of a lust for power. He simply believed his cause to be just, and who’s to say it wasn’t?” Dimitri asked. “Maybe we didn’t have to cut him down like that. Maybe we could have reached a mutual understanding and found a path to peace.”

He frowned, dropping his gaze to the ground. “I have to believe that,” he whispered. “Perhaps the notion sounds laughable to you, but I can’t believe otherwise.”

Byleth wanted to reach out and comfort him, but she couldn’t seem to move. How could she bring herself to comfort someone so distraught by the mere concept of war when she herself sided with someone who raged war all across Fódlan? Instead, Dedue and Mercedes stepped forward to try and sooth the young prince. 

“Sorry to intrude,” Catherine said, walking over to join the group. “This incident may be more serious than we anticipated.”

She handed Bilet a scroll with a broken wax seal on it. Byleth stared at the rolled up piece of parchment in her brother’s hand. She had actually forgotten about this moment. By the look on Bilet’s face, he seemed to have forgotten too. Either that, or he was just good at playing dumb.

“I found this on Lord Lonato. It’s a note that mentioned a plan to assassinate Lady Rhea,” Catherine explained. “We can’t tell who sent it, so the source is suspect, but the content is too disturbing to ignore. We must report this to Lady Rhea right away.”

Bilet handed the scroll back to Catherine. “You should hold onto it. Our mission was to tag along to oversee the aftermath. We’ve done more than our share here. This was more your mission than ours.”

Catherine nodded and tucked the note away. “We should hurry back. The sooner we return, the sooner we can plan a way to defend Lady Rhea from whoever is putting a threat on her life.”

“I’ll go and find Ashe,” Annette volunteered.

The rest of the Blue Lions all gathered around, ready to head back. While Bilet and Byleth knew to expect combat going into this mission, their students all had expectations of a fairly easy observation mission. Ashe and Dimitri weren’t the only ones obviously distraught by the recent fight against the townsfolk. The Black Eagles were upset after this mission when they went on it originally, Ferdinand going as far as to compare Lord Lonato to a monster for making his citizens fight, but they didn’t have the personal connection to the people that the Blue Lions did. 

All Byleth wanted to do was hide her students away somewhere safe, away from the Emperor that would eventually plague their future with war, and away from the archbishop who remained so blindly devoted to her cause that she would send mere children into battle just to prove a point to them about loyalty.

**********

“Let me do the talking,” Bilet said as they approached the audience chambers. Before Byleth could even argue, he held up his hand to silence her. “I know you’re upset with Lady Rhea for sending the Blue Lions. I am too, but we need to go about this carefully.”

“Fine,” Byleth muttered. All she wanted to do was to storm in there and tell that woman off for forcing Ashe to take a stand against his adoptive father, making Dimitri fight against the people he swore to protect, and roping the rest of the Blue Lions, who were all connected to the Kingdom of Faerghus, into going against a once respectable lord. One of the other classes could have handled that fight. Hell, Catherine and her band of soldiers could have completed that entire mission without them.

“I am glad to see that you have returned safely. The goddess is gracious with her divine protection,” Rhea smiled as the two professors walked in. “It was not only her divine protection that shielded you though, was it? You two are just as skilled as I had hoped.”

Bilet bowed his head in respect for a brief moment. “Thank you, but it is our students who deserve your praise.”

“Oh?” Rhea hummed. “I am not so sure about that.”

“Excuse me?” Byleth asked, breaking her oath of silence. Bilet just sighed. He couldn’t even say he was surprised by his sister’s lack of self control at this point. 

“I heard some of the students were hesitant about fighting militia,” Rhea said.

“You sent a sixteen year old boy to face his father on the battlefield,” Byleth said through gritted teeth. “You sent nobles and children from the kingdom to fight against citizens of said kingdom. I thought it would have been obvious that there was to be some hesitation from them.”

Rhea’s gaze on Byleth hardened. She had to force herself to keep from flinching. The stare from the archbishop was less intense than the one she had received in the Holy Tomb, but those cold, rage filled eyes still unnerved her.

“We must punish any sinner who may inflict harm upon believers, even if those sinners are civilians,” Rhea said, her tone stern. “I pray the students learned a valuable lesson about the fate that awaits all who are foolish enough to point their blades towards the heavens.”

Byleth wanted to scream how pointless that lesson was. It didn’t work on Edelgard and Hubert, the two students willing to go against the church. There was no need to scar the Blue Lions into serving the church out of fear.

“Our real concern is what Catherine reported,” Seteth said, stepping in before the argument could continue. “The message in Lord Lonato’s possession contained a deplorable plot to target the archbishop on the day of the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth. The plan itself seems unrealistic at best, but a threat is a threat. We must maintain constant vigilance. To that end, I would like for you and your students to help with security on the day of the ritual.”

“You can count on us,” Bilet answered quickly before Byleth could get the chance to open her mouth.

“That is most reassuring. You have my gratitude,” Rhea thanked, her eyes softening up as she redirected her gaze towards Bilet.

“The Rite of Rebirth is of paramount importance. It is when the Church of Seiros and its believers unite and pray for the return of the goddess,” Seteth explained. “The archbishop and I will be confined to the Goddess Tower once the ritual begins. Of course, the knights will be on high alert as well, but there aren’t enough of them to keep watch over every corner of the monastery.”

Seteth frowned and turned his attention to Byleth. “It is far from ideal to be forced to mobilize the students like this, but the gravity of the situation requires that we all bend a little to avoid breaking entirely.” 

There was a strange sense of understanding Byleth felt from Seteth in that moment that she never felt before from him. She always assumed he was blindly loyal to Rhea, but he seemed to care about the students at Garreg Mach very dearly. 

“While there is no need to fear for my safety, we cannot turn a blind eye to those who would blaspheme so heinously,” Rhea said, glancing at Byleth once again, almost as if to warn her. The former mercenary held her ground, but part of her couldn’t help but wonder if Rhea knew about Divine Pulse and the war, or if it was just her current attitude that caused the warning glance.

“With any luck, this will all be for naught. Still, be on your guard,” Seteth warned. 

The twins took their leave, not wanting to stir up any more tension. Byleth couldn’t help but feel like she had failed her students by not pushing back more against Rhea, but it would do her no good to be executed for treason this early into the school year. She wondered if simply arguing with Rhea was enough of an excuse enough to get the axe? 

“That could’ve gone worse,” Bilet sighed once they were out of earshot of anyone else.

“I could’ve punched her for saying the students didn’t deserve any praise for the work they put in,” Byleth muttered. 

“That wouldn’t have solved anything,” Bilet frowned.

“Did you punching Edelgard solve anything?” Byleth asked.

“...no.”

“Would you have gone back in time for me if I had punched Rhea back there?” 

“I think we need to stop discussing causing the archbishop harm when people are already on guard from that assassination plot,” Bilet said, keeping his voice down.

“Fine,” Byleth sighed. “You know, as much as I hate R-”

“By,” Bilet warned.

She rolled her eyes. “As much as I am _not a fan_ of Rhea, I’m actually looking forward to this month’s mission.”

“Oh? And why is that?”

Byleth’s hand twitched just thinking about what was to come. “By the end of the month, the Sword of the Creator will be back in my hands.”

Bilet hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to exactly word his question. “Are you sure wielding it this time around is a good idea?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?” Byleth asked. “It’s not like you can use it effectively. Even Edelgard couldn’t use it.”

That threw Bilet for a loop. “Why would Edelgard be able to use it? And how do you know she can’t? Did you give it to her?”

“She never told you?” Byleth asked. “She has the Crest of Flames too. I let her swing the Sword of the Creator around for a bit just to see if she could access its power, but for some reason it’s only me.” She paused for a moment and glanced at her brother. “Do you know why I’m the only one who can wield the Sword of the Creator?”

Bilet nodded slowly. “I do.”

Byleth didn’t even bother asking if he would enlighten her this time. She knew his answer wouldn’t change. She sighed and tapped her fingers against her side. Just one more month before she would be in possession of her sword again, and eight more months before Bilet would answer any of Byleth’s burning questions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun fact: this fic is officially over 200 pages long in google docs! I've never written something this long before, and we've barely scratched the surface! I'm having so much fun with this fic, and I just wanted to let you all know that I appreciate every single person that has taken the time to read this!


	13. Through Colored Glass

“So, our task for this moon is to patrol and guard the monastery,” Dimitri muttered, mostly to himself.

Bilet and Byleth had gone over their mission from Seteth with the class. While they both knew their simple security task would eventually lead to combat by the end of the month, the Blue Lions all looked somewhat relieved to hear that they weren’t expected to go outside the monastery walls this month. A lot of them were still troubled by what they had to do at Castle Gaspard, not that either twin could blame them.

“Just because the church has assigned us with the task of guarding the monastery doesn’t mean we won’t be forced to engage in combat at some point this month,” Bilet clarified.

“Remember, we were assigned this task for a reason. The knights will have their hands full protecting Rhea directly. If anything happens and there’s not a knight around to deal with it, it’ll be our job as well as your job to step up and handle it,” Byleth added.

“And you think our enemy is counting on that fact?” Dimitri asked.

Byleth nodded. “We do.”

“Please, elaborate,” Dedue requested, raising his hand slightly.

“All right,” Bilet said, clapping his hands together. “We’re going to count this discussion as part of our lesson for today. Tell me, why would Lord Lonato be carrying around a secret note with an assassination plot written on it?”

Everyone just stared at the two professors, trying to think of an answer to the question none of them had stopped to consider before. After a brief moment, Dimitri raised his hand.

“Dimitri,” Bilet called on.

“Isn’t it possible Lord Lonato hoped to monopolize everyone’s attention with this alleged plot… perhaps in order to distract from his true aim?”

“If we assume that is true, now the follow up question is what could be their true aim?” Byleth asked.

“The monastery holds many treasures. Maybe the enemy is after one of those?” Mercedes suggested.

“There’s also a lot of valuable stuff in the library and Professor Hanneman’s quarters,” Annette added.

“True,” Felix muttered, nodding in agreement with his classmates. “The monastery undoubtedly houses many weapons that rival even the Heroes’ Relics.”

“Whatever their aim, we cannot allow any harm to come to the ladies of the monastery,” Sylvain added.

“Will you shut up?” Felix sighed.

“Sylvain’s right. Well, partially right, at least,” Bilet corrected himself. “It is our job this month to protect everyone at the monastery so the knights can stay focused on keeping Lady Rhea safe.”

“Perhaps we should search the monastery,” Dedue suggested. “Try to find what the enemy is truly after.”

“Yes,” Byleth agreed. “We should also be prepared to fight them as well, in case it comes to that.”

“Whatever the enemy’s aim, we must discern their true intent quickly. Our best option is to explore every inch of the monastery,” Dimitri said.

“Even if their goal is what they say it is- an assassination attempt- do you really think they’ll do it on the Rite of Rebirth?” Sylvain asked. “Like, why that day? I feel like security would be looser some other time of the year.”

The Eisner twins already knew the true goal behind the fake letter. However, they were there to educate the Blue Lions. Since there was no real danger until the end of the month, and both Bilet and Byleth knew the motive behind the eventual attack, there was no harm in pushing their students to figure out the answer for themselves. After all, weren’t they preparing them for a war where they’d have to predict their enemy’s intent and actions?

A quick, sharp knock on the door frame of the Blue Lion’s classroom rang out, alerting everyone. In the doorway stood Shamir and Cyril. Shamir directed her attention to the twin professors up at the front immediately. 

“Having a secret meeting here, Professors?” she asked.

“More like an official class meeting,” Bilet corrected. “Nothing secret about it. And you are?”

“Oh right, we haven’t been introduced. I am Shamir,” she said, stepping into the classroom.

“A Knight of Seiros,” Dimitri whispered in awe.

“Hi, I work for Lady Rhea, and I’m Shamir’s apprentice!” Cyril said, following Shamir’s lead and walking into the classroom. “Oh, the name’s Cyril.”

“Shamir’s apprentice, huh?” Byleth asked. During the war, she hadn’t seen much of Cyril. She never fought him, or got close enough for them to ever engage in any hateful dialogue. All she knew was that he was blindly devoted to Rhea, and that he had acted more as a bodyguard than an actual soldier during the war. 

“Yep!” Cyril beamed. “She’s teaching me about the bow, and sword, and all kinds of stuff to help me protect Lady Rhea.”

Shamir half-heartedly rolled her eyes, but there was still the smallest hint of a smile on her face. “The kid adores Lady Rhea. That aside, we stopped by to let you know that if you guys need anything, just ask. We were assigned to offer extra support to your class if necessary.” 

“Thank you. We weren’t aware that we’d be receiving any extra help this month from the knights,” Bilet said.

Shamir shrugged. “Seteth said you guys might need some assistance, especially after your last mission. Anyway, just wanted to come by and introduce ourselves. We’ll be going now. Enjoy the rest of your class.”

With that, the pair left. The students all began sharing hushed whispers as to why a Knight of Seiros would be willing to step away from guarding Lady Rhea just to help them out.

“Well, you all heard her,” Bilet said, trying to bring his class’ attention back on them. “If you need assistance, and Professor Byleth or myself are not available, feel free to go to Shamir for help.”

“She’s a very capable knight, at least from what I’ve heard,” Byleth added. Shamir had been someone Byleth had faced off against during the war. She had made the mistake of going easy on the knight, not wanting to bring harm to someone she still held a lot of respect for. That was the first serious injury Byleth had received during the war. “You could learn a lot from her.”

“I’m going to assign you all the additional task of searching the monastery for any ideas or clues as to what our enemy is after,” Bilet said, going back to their original conversion. “Talk to the people here at the monastery while you’re on patrol, keep a mental note of things you think they might go after instead of Lady Rhea, things like that.”

Ingrid raised her hand. “Professor, while investigating is important, are we going to make time to get in extra training? We don’t know who exactly our enemy is, so we need to be prepared for anything.”

“I agree,” Byleth nodded. “Thank you, Ingrid. You just reminded me of what I noticed during our last battle that we as a class all need to work on.”

“Please, don’t say what I think you’re about to say, Professor,” Sylvain begged.

“Everyone go get changed. We’re doing endurance training today before lunch!” Byleth announced.

The collective groan that echoed throughout the Blue Lion’s classroom was enough to bring a smile to the former mercenary’s face. As everyone gathered their things and left to go change into their running uniform, Bilet took a seat on his shared desk and chuckled.

“I think you enjoy torturing them a bit too much. Not everyone had your insane stamina, By.”

“Ashe’s breathing was pretty heavy during that last fight. I don’t want anyone falling behind in the heat of battle just because they can’t keep pace with the rest of the group,” Byleth explained.

“Are you going to force me to run with you, or is this your lesson for the day?” Bilet asked.

“You’re their professor too, Let. You need to lead by example.”

“Yes, but endurance training is your specialty,” he hummed.

“All the more reason for you to join us. You heard what dad said. Sitting behind that desk all day will dull your senses before you know it,” she said, kicking the desk for extra emphasis.

“Fine, fine, I’ll go run laps with you,” Bilet sighed. He stood up and they walked out of the classroom together, but both siblings paused once outside. They spotted the three house leaders all gathered together. Claude caught sight of them and smiled, waving the pair over to join them.

The twins walked over, unsure of what exactly the trio was talking about. While it wasn’t completely out of the ordinary to see them all conversing, it was still jarring to see them getting along after being at war for so long. Or, technically, before that war.

“Have you been charged with guarding the monastery as well?” Edelgard asked, looking between the two other house leaders.

Dimitri nodded. “That is correct.”

“All three classes are sharing one assignment this month,” Bilet pointed out.

“Well, you know since there’s been talk of an attempt on Rhea’s life, it makes sense that we’d all be ordered to help the knights patrol,” Claude shrugged.

Edelgard shook her head “Such a stir over a simple letter.”

“I think an assassination plot is a little more than just a simple letter,” Byleth corrected.

“True,” Edelgard hummed. “I suppose the archbishop’s safety is too important to risk.” 

“Strange to think that Rhea isn’t beloved by everyone in the world like we previously assumed,” Claude said, crossing his arms.

“We only know a small part of this world,” Dimitri said. “Most of our knowledge of other kingdoms comes from what we’ve learned during and after a conflict with them.”

Claude chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.” Despite the humorous tone in his voice, there was a familiar, guarded look in his eyes that stood out to Byleth.

_“If you’re as smart as you seem, I bet you’ve figured out why I was able to summon Almyran reinforcements. Wouldn’t it be better to let me go and have me in your debt?”_

That comment, that whispered bargain in an attempt for mercy had long slipped Byleth’s mind. Remembering it suddenly also brought back the scent of the salt from the sea, and the sound of the waves crashing against the dock as she stood against the Alliance leader and his white wyvern with the Sword of the Creator in her hands. She had assumed he had gained favor with Almyra at some point during his time as the leader of the Leicester Alliance, but that expression he hid so carefully from the others just now made her question how far back those foreign connections went.

“We’ll connect with Professor Hanneman and Professor Manuela to work out a patrol schedule later today,” Bilet said, snapping Byleth out of her wandering thoughts. “If you’ll excuse us, our class is about to get started on their endurance training for today.”

“Endurance training this early?” Claude asked, letting out a low whistle. “You’re torturing my poor friends over in the Blue Lion house, Teach. Dimitri, blink twice if you’re in need of help.”

“You joke now, Claude, but when the Blue Lions are able to score an effortless victory in the upcoming Battle of the Eagle and Lion, you’ll get to see the results of our hard work up close,” Dimitri said, smirking slightly.

“Oh no, they’ve gone and brainwashed you too,” Claude groaned. “Well, excuse me for preferring other methods of working on my own endurance. Just simply running doesn’t make much sense to me, unless you’re planning on running away in battle.”

“Oh, so you plan on joining them today, Claude?” Edelgard teased. “You are the first to flee a scene at the mere threat of danger.”

“Exactly, so if the enemy learns my secrets and suddenly works hard enough to catch up to me, my strategy goes out the window,” Claude laughed.

“Since when are the Blue Lions your enemies?” Byleth asked.

“Did you miss the whole Battle of the Eagle and Lion part of the conversation?” Claude asked.

“It doesn’t matter how hard you train, because the Black Eagles will reign victorious this year,” Edelgard declared.

“In your dreams, princess,” Claude smirked.

“Please, the battle is still a ways away. Let us table any declarations of victory until after my class wins and declares victory,” Dimitri said.

It was nice seeing them all interact as children their age would, because at the end of the day, at this specific point in time, that’s what the three of them were. Despite the titles they bore, the responsibilities they carried on their shoulders, and the choices they had yet to make in the future, they were all still children.

**********

Everyone’s voices echoing together in the Cathedral was a beautiful sound to witness. Saint Cethleann Day brought more people to the Cathedral than normal. Several students, faculty members, knights, and citizens of the neighboring villages all packed themselves into the pews, offering prayers to the beloved Saint. Bilet smiled softly, pleased to see such a high turnout for the celebration. He failed at convincing his sister to attend the service, but her refusal wasn’t a surprise. She used the extra patrols as an excuse, but Bilet knew she just wasn’t a fan of the church. The real surprise was Seteth’s absence. It wasn’t like him to miss a holy day celebration.

Off to the side, Bilet noticed Ashe sitting in a pew all by himself. His head was bowed and his hands were folded, but there was something about his demeanor that seemed off. He wasn’t participating in the hymns, which was fine, but Bilet could tell there was more to his slouched posture.

“I too prefer to offer my prayers silently,” Bilet told him, making sure to keep his voice down so as to not disturb any of the other attendees.

“Oh, Professor, my apologies, I didn’t see you there,” Ashe said quickly. “If I’m being honest, I came here in hopes of finding a quiet place to think. I forgot it was Saint Cethleann Day.”

“What are you thinking about?”

Ashe sighed. “I… I can’t seem to stop my mind from thinking about what happened to Lonato.”

Bilet nodded to an empty spot in the pew. “Mind if I join you?”

Ashe scooted over to make room for the former mercenary. “I’m sorry, Professor,” he apologized again. “I know this isn’t the time, and that I should be here offering prayers to Saint Cethleann, but… I just can’t seem to get past it. Lonato’s death, that it.”

“No need to apologize,” Bilet waved off. “Death is a… complicated thing. I’m sorry that I don’t have any advice for you, other than take all the time you need to grieve. I’m sure Saint Cethleann will understand. She is a healer, so I’m pretty sure she knows better than anyone that time heals all wounds.”

“Thank you. Don’t worry though, no matter what happens, I promise you, I’ll do my part as a member of the Blue Lions,” Ashe swore.

“That’s nice to hear, but please take time for yourself if needed,” Bilet said. “I never got the chance to ask, are your brother and sister okay?”

“Thankfully they’re all right. I was worried, because they’re both so young, but the church in the castle town offered to take them in. That much, at least, is a big relief,” Ashe sighed.

“I’m glad to hear that they are being taken care of,” Bilet smiled. “I’ll leave you to your thoughts, but please, don’t hesitate to ask my sister or myself for aid if you require it.”

“Thank you, Professor Bilet,” Ashe whispered, his voice wavering slightly.

Part of Bilet wanted to stay to comfort the poor boy, but he got the feeling Ashe was growing tired of people bearing witness to his tears, so he took his leave. In actuality, Bilet had only gone to the Cathedral in search of Seteth, so he had no real reason to linger. Both the gate and the doors to the Cathedral were propped wide open, so he was able to quietly slip out without drawing any attention to himself. Out on the bridge that connected the Cathedral to the rest of Garreg Mach stood Seteth. He appeared to be watching the clouds pass while the sounds of singing rang out from the open doors.

“I was looking for you,” Bilet said, walking over to his former-slash-future friend.

Seteth glanced over to see who was speaking to him before turning his attention back to the sky. “I’ve been in town, procuring some supplies for Flayn.”

“Is it wise to leave the monastery grounds at this time?” Bilet asked. “You’re close to Lady Rhea, and with the threat against her-”

“Do not concern yourself for my safety,” Seteth said, cutting him off. “I promise you, I am very much stronger than I appear. My question for you is why your search for me led you to the Cathedral instead of my office?”

“Who’s to say I didn’t check there first?” Bilet countered.

“Did you?”

“Well, no,” Bilet admitted.

“So my question still stands,” Seteth hummed.

“It’s Saint Cethleann Day. I assumed since you’re a prominent member of the Church of Seiros that you’d be in attendance for the afternoon hymn.”

The small smile that graced Seteth’s face at the mention of the Saint was a sight Bilet had grown to miss without realizing it. “I gave my prayers this morning before the crowd arrived. While the singing is beautiful, I prefer to listen from a distance.”

“That’s understandable. It was pretty crowded in there,” Bilet nodded.

“What was it you needed from me?” Seteth asked.

“Oh, right,” Bilet said, suddenly remembering his reasoning for seeking him out. “My sister and I have reason to believe that the enemy who wrote the letter regarding Lady Rhea’s assassination are simply using it as a farce to distract the Knights of Seiros.”

That caught Seteth’s attention. “Distract them from what?”

“We believe they’re going to attempt to steal something from the monastery, since security will be heavily focused on Lady Rhea herself,” Bilet explained.

“What is it they are hoping to steal exactly?” Seteth asked.

“We currently have our students helping us investigate that,” Bilet said. He hated not being able to tell Seteth the truth, but he knew at this moment in time Seteth still didn’t completely trust him. Even if Seteth did trust him, Bilet couldn’t tell him how he gained his information. 

“Thank you for bringing this to my attention,” Seteth said, stepping back from the bridge wall. “I will go report this to Lady Rhea. Most likely, security won’t change, since the archbishop’s life takes priority over any object, but we can instruct the other classes to aid you in your investigation.”

“That would be helpful, thank you,” Bilet said, bowing his head slightly. He had to remind himself to show that extra level of respect to Lady Rhea’s right hand man, since they weren’t friends yet. Seteth had gotten Bilet to break that habit at some point during the war, and while he could still hear that version of Seteth telling him to stand up straight for the hundredth time, this time period’s Seteth just nodded in response and took his leave without correcting Bilet’s behavior.

As Bilet straightened up, he could hear someone walking up behind him. He spun around to find Hubert standing there, watching him curiously. He peered at Bilet, his yellow eyes sending an unsettling chill down Bilet’s spine. Bilet reminded himself that Hubert was once his student, and therefore not an immediate threat. He forced a believable smile onto his face.

“Hello, Hubert.”

The dark mage said nothing as his gaze shifted towards Seteth, who just walked out of eyesight. 

“Can you imagine the archbishop being murdered?” he asked out of the blue. “I myself prefer not to consider such a gruesome scenario.”

“Of course not,” Bilet said, dropping his grin.

Hubert’s focus shifted back on Bilet, his signature, sinister smile slowly creeping onto his face. “Awfully calm, aren’t you? I wonder what it takes to rile you up.”

_“Perhaps I should extend my offer to Professor Byleth when I see her next.”_

“I guess you’ll just have to keep on wondering,” Bilet said, trying to keep the air light. “Did you just come from the Cathedral? I didn’t see you inside.”

“No, I am just doing my rounds. We are supposed to be patrolling the monastery, are we not?” Hubert asked.

“I see,” Bilet muttered. In the past, he never quite figured out how to converse with Hubert. Now after fighting him in a war, trying to talk to the younger, student version of the man did not make it any easier on Bilet. “Who all is on patrol currently?”

“I know Ferdinand is over guarding the stables for the time being. He has some concerns regarding the knights’ horses,” Hubert explained.

“What kind of concerns?” Bilet asked. He was surprised to hear Hubert had taken the time to converse with Ferdinand.

“He has this theory that the enemy may attempt to light the stables on fire to cause a distraction,” Hubert said, a twinge of annoyance in his tone, suggesting that he didn’t agree with the nobleman. “It’s an old trick, one our enemy is unlikely to put into practice.”

“Just because it’s an old trick doesn’t mean it can’t be effective,” Bilet pointed out.

“Perhaps you can go find him yourself and listen to him prattle on in regards to the knights’ steeds,” Hubert suggested, sarcasm dripping heavily from his words.

“I was actually going to check on the greenhouse. Make sure the enemy hasn’t set fire to that location yet,” Bilet said, trying to see if humor worked with Hubert.

Apparently the answer was yes. Hubert chuckled, a sound Bilet wasn’t used to hearing from the dark mage. “Give Merla my regards, will you?”

It was strange to think about Hubert being on a first name basis with Merla, but Bilet shook that thought away and instead began making his way towards the greenhouse. In truth, he wasn’t sure what he was supposed to do for the day. Classes were canceled, since it was a holy day. Patrolling felt like a waste of time, since the only enemies currently inside Garreg Mach were students that he couldn’t prove anything against. Their plan wouldn’t even go into full effect until much later anyways.

No one stopped Bilet on his way to the greenhouse. Instead, he spotted Merla tending to some of the plants. As he suspected, no one had burned down the greenhouse.

“Need a hand?” he asked, walking over to join Merla.

She turned her head slightly to see who had walked in and beamed when she noticed Bilet. “Ah, Professor! Doing your rounds, I see. Glad to know someone is willing to check up on this part of the monastery.”

“Of course,” Bile chuckled. “The greenhouse is looking as beautiful as ever. I wouldn’t want any harm to come to it.”

“Stop, you flatter me,” Merla laughed. She stood up and wiped the dirt from her hands off onto her apron. “T’would be a shame if the greenhouse was targeted. The knights here all think I’m a tad crazy for being so worried, but the plants in here are far more valuable than most people realize.”

“Is that so?” Bilet asked.

“There’s more growing here than just beautiful flowers. Many of these plants can be used to save lives, or even end them. I consider each of these plants my precious children, sometimes even over my actual children,” she laughed. “Oh, I know you must have your hands full already as is, but do you think there’s a small possibility someone can come and patrol around here more regularly?”

“I’m sure we have a student or two who would be more than willing to come and guard the greenhouse,” Bilet said. “All three houses are on guard duty this month, so I’m sure we can find someone to help ease your concern.”

Merla reached out and shook Bilet’s hand, her smile widening. “I’d be so very grateful, thank you, Professor!”

Bilet wished he could reassure Merla that her beloved greenhouse would survive for years to come, survive through a war, but he kept his lips sealed and just nodded his head, hoping that a student or two patrolling the area would be reassurance enough to her that the greenhouse would survive into the next month, at the very least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, this is the closest I've cut it to my deadline. Normally I have a rough draft of the chapter typed up by Sunday or Monday, but I only finished the rough draft and final draft yesterday. Still made it in time though.
> 
> As always, thank you for reading and I'll see you all next Friday!


	14. I Am Finally Me

Byleth’s patrol had led her all around the monastery. She peered into the library, pretending to check for suspicious activity. While she did see Tomas over in the corner reshelving some books, he wasn’t someone she could report just yet. His time would come eventually, but for now, she had other things to worry about.

Asleep at one of the tables, Byleth spotted Linhardt. There was an open book sitting in front of him. From the look of it, he had almost finished reading it before giving in to his exhaustion. The Black Eagles were scheduled to patrol in the evening, so she went over to wake him, not wanting him to sleep on such a hard surface.

“Stay up too late?” Byleth asked, putting her hand on Linhardt’s shoulder.

He slowly lifted his head and groaned, eyes squinted to the point where Byleth wasn’t sure if he could see anything. “Ugh, so sleepy…” Linhardt rubbed his eyes before opening them, curious to see who had woken him up. “Oh, it’s you, Professor.” He yawned, stretching his arms over his head. “To answer your question, yes. I got caught up reading an interesting book last night and forgot to head back to my room to sleep.”

Linhardt’s long nights in the library weren’t an uncommon occurrence, and since Byleth wasn’t currently his professor, she figured lecturing him on sticking to a proper sleep schedule wouldn’t do much good. She glanced at the book he had open, not recognizing it. “Did you learn anything new from it at least that was worth losing sleep over?”

“Yes, actually. Did you know that the coffins of the Four Saints each have their own crests carved into them?” Linhardt asked. “I’m trying to think of a way down there so I can take a closer look.”

Byleth chuckled. “I’d recommend getting some real sleep in your actual bed before you try any attempts at sneaking around. Maybe ask Professor Hanneman if you can patrol that area of the monastery tonight on your shift though if you’re so curious?”

Linhardt stood up and stretched again. “Good idea, Professor.” He looked around the room for a moment before spotting Tomas. “Excuse me, Tomas? Is it okay if I take this with me?”

Tomas turned around and waved him off. “Oh yes, yes, take it. That’s the entire point of the library after all.”

He closed the book and tucked it under his arm. “See you later, Professor,” Linhardt said before leaving. Not wanting to be around Tomas any longer, Byleth turned to leave too.

“I hear you have fought alongside Catherine,” Tomas said before Byleth could step foot outside the library. “I would wager her power exceeded your expectations.”

“She is quite impressive, yes,” Byleth nodded, only half turning to face him. 

“Had you the chance to witness her Relic, Thunderbrand?” Tomas asked.

“I did.” All she wanted to do was leave.

“The way it glows shows that her crest harmonizes with the Relic,” Tomas pointed out.

“Yes, my brother explained how crests and Relics work,” Byleth said. “Speaking of my brother, I was supposed to meet up with him. Excuse me.”

She hurried out of the library, not caring if she came off as rude or not. It’s not like she cared whether or not she ended up on Tomas’ good side. He’d end up skewered on the other end of her swords at some point in the future no matter what.

Byleth didn’t have a destination in mind. She wasn’t really in search of her brother, so instead she just wandered around, eventually ending up back outside. More often than not, when she didn’t have anywhere else to go, she found herself at the training grounds. Since patrolling wasn’t really important, she decided to pause on her rounds and start making her way towards her comfort spot. How the training grounds managed to become a place she felt at ease in despite her being unable to spar with the vast majority of people at the monastery, Byleth had no idea.

“Hey, Professor Byleth!” she heard someone call out. She looked around and found Caspar running over towards her.

“Is everything all right?” Byleth asked. The Black Eagles weren’t on patrol duty yet, but maybe he saw something suspicious off duty?

“What? Oh, yeah! Everything’s fine!” he reassured her. “Did you know there’s fighting tournaments here at the monastery?”

If he was still her student, Byleth would’ve assigned him weekend weeding duty for the next month for scaring her like that. “Yeah, I think Felix mentioned something about signing up for the beginner level sword tournament this week,” Byleth nodded.

“We should sign up for one!” Caspar said, his eyes wide with excitement and determination. “I’ll show you why you should’ve taught the Black Eagle class this year!”

“As fun as that sounds, I’m sorry, but I don’t spar with students,” Byleth said, turning him down.

“Oh, come on! The Blue Lion’s can’t hog you all the time!” Caspar groaned.

“They don’t _hog_ me. I’m their professor,” Byleth corrected.

“Just one round, it doesn’t even have to be in the tournament!” Caspar begged.

“If the crown prince of Faerghus couldn’t convince me to spar with him, what makes you think I’ll give in to your request?” Byleth asked.

Caspar paused for a moment, trying to come up with an excuse. “... because I’m not your responsibility if I get injured?”

“No, but it will be my fault if you get injured, and the last thing I need is Professor Hanneman angry with me for putting out one of his best brawlers,” Byleth explained, trying to sprinkle in some exaggerated praise to appease the rowdy boy. “Plus, if I say yes to you, my own students will all start pestering me for duels as well. If you’re that desperate to fight a new Professor, go ask my brother. He’s more likely to say yes.”

“Ugh, fine, but this isn’t over yet! I’ll get you to spar with me one day!” Caspar said before taking off to find Bilet.

Part of Byleth felt bad for turning down all of her student’s requests to spar. She knew fighting against her would be beneficial to their learning, but wasn’t sure how she’d react raising a blade against a student again, wooden or otherwise.

Speaking of people she had formerly clashed swords with, Byleth spotted Jeritza just outside of the training grounds. A bored expression rested on his face behind the mask he always wore during his time at the academy. While Jeritza himself didn’t unnerve Byleth too much, his alter ego, the Death Knight, still shook her to her core. Jeritza noticed her approaching, but his expression remained unchanged. 

“Here to train?” he asked. His monotone, baritone voice was unsettling, but it lacked the echo that came with the Death Knight’s helmet.

“That’s correct,” Byleth nodded. “Are you?”

“No.”

Byleth waited for him to elaborate, but when Jeritza remained silent, she cleared her throat to break the awkward silence. “Patrol duty then, I assume?”

“You’re skilled. Why won’t you battle me?” Jeritza asked, ignoring Byleth’s question.

There were several reasons as to why Byleth refused to go against Jeritza, the main one being if she fought him now, he’d get a good idea of her fighting style, and could plan around it on the battlefield. 

“I’m not a good sparring partner, sorry,” she apologized. She knew that excuse was weak, but it was all she could think of on the spot.

“Hmph,” Jeritza grunted. 

Byleth waited to see if he was going to say more, but he remained silent. She slowly began to step away, nodding her head towards the training grounds.

“I’m going to go break some training dummies. Enjoy the rest of your patrol,” she said before slipping through the doors to the training grounds.

Just as Caspar had mentioned, the fighting tournaments had started up at Garreg Mach Monastery again. When it came to the Black Eagles, each week a handful of students would beg Byleth and Bilet to let them represent their class in whatever weapon category was chosen for that week. No one had asked this week from the Blue Lions, but instead, Felix had gone and signed himself up. Byleth wasn’t surprised, since the category was swords. The only other student who seemed to care about learning swordplay was Dimitri, but the prince still preferred the lance over all. 

Byleth had made it just in time to see Felix face off against a church soldier. According to the tournament sheet posted on the wall, this was the final battle. Even when Felix was shoved to the ground, disarmed, and forced to surrender, Byleth couldn’t help but feel proud of how far he had made it. She noticed the person he had lost to was the knight Catherine had been sparring against a few weeks ago. The soldier reached down to help Felix to his feet before going over to collect her reward for winning. 

“That was impressive,” Byleth said as Felix walked by.

He scoffed, putting the wooden training sword back on the rack. “I should’ve been able to beat her.”

Byleth shrugged. “We can go over a few techniques to counter moves like that in class next week, but don’t beat yourself up over that match. I saw her training with Catherine. My guess is she’s working towards becoming a Holy Knight. You put up a good fight against her, all things considered.”

“A Holy Knight without a Heroes’ Relic?” Felix asked. “Good luck.”

“You said it yourself, Garreg Mach is home to many weapons that could rival even the Heroes’ Relics,” Byleth pointed out.

Felix said nothing for a minute, his gaze focused on the training sword he had just hung up. “Did you come here to train?”

“I did, but I didn’t realize the tournament was happening right now,” Byleth said.

“Care to train with me?” Felix asked. “I spent most of that tournament crossing swords with worthless opponents. I barely worked up a sweat against them. You seem like a worthy adversary though.”

“You think I’m a worthy adversary?” Byleth asked, dodging his question by providing another.

“You seem skilled. I’m quite interested in your technique,” Felix admitted. “You learned from the former captain of the Knights of Seiros, and traveled Fódlan fighting as a mercenary. Good sparring partners like you don’t grow on trees. But know that I will beat you, and surpass your strength.”

“Why are you so focused on becoming stronger?” Byleth asked.

“Why? Hm. I never really thought about that,” Felix hummed. He picked back up the practice sword and stared at it in his hand. “I learned to thrust a sword before I learned to write my own name. That’s not uncommon for most children in the Kingdom. Grow strong so you may live, and live to grow stronger. That’s what I was taught.”

“Do you have any other ambitions?” Byleth asked. She hardly knew anything about the swordsman. She was curious as to what motivated him, what inspired him, what he fought for- all of it.

Felix just chuckled. “Why should I? Nothing is as important as the pursuit of strength.”

“I’d disagree,” Byleth frowned.

“Enough idle chatter. Pick out your sword,” Felix said, nodding to the rack of training equipment.

“My position on sparring against students hasn’t changed, Felix,” Byleth said. “I can offer you advice and demonstrate different techniques if you’re interested, but if you’re looking for a sparring partner, I’d recommend looking elsewhere.”

“I learn the best by challenging the best,” Felix argued.

“Then ask my brother to spar with you, but that’s not something I’m willing to budge on right now, sorry,” Byleth apologized. She wished she could explain the sheer terror that prevented her from raising a weapon against a student of her’s again.

“Isn’t it your job as a professor to educate your students to the best of your abilities?” Felix asked.

Byleth nodded. “That is correct.”

“I’ve seen you fight. Your best abilities are seemingly reserved for the battlefield. You’re holding out on us, Professor. That’s not fair to your students,” Felix said, smirking slightly, thinking he’s won the debate.

Byleth sighed. She was growing tired of going back and forth on the matter with several students every week. “I’ll tell you what. Figure out what our enemy is planning to target on the Rite of Rebirth, and if you’re correct, I will have a duel with you after the matter. Deal?”

“Deal,” Felix said, sticking out his hand to shake on the matter. Byleth shook his hand, confident that he didn’t have the answer. The only reason they figured it out last time was because Edelgard-

“Flayn mentioned that the Holy Mausoleum is only open to the public during the Rite of Rebirth. That’s what our enemy is going to target,” Felix said, letting go of her hand. “Like Sylvain said, security is going to be tight, so there has to be a reason they’re choosing that day to invade.”

Byleth mentally cursed, trying to ignore the faint laughter that echoed in her head.

Felix put his training sword back up. “I look forward to sparring with you after the Rite of Rebirth.”

“Hold on, did you come to that conclusion on your own, or did you have help?” Byleth asked.

“Does it matter?” Felix scoffed. “If you must know, I discussed it with Sylvain and the Boar Prince this morning during our patrol. We were planning to bring it up during class next time we met up. No need to seem so defeated, look on the bright side, Professor. Now you have a location to focus on making a plan of defense around.”

With that, the swordsman took his leave, brushing past Byleth on his way out. All Byleth could do was question how she got herself in this mess while Sothis’ laughter rang out louder in the back of her mind.

**********

The day of the Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth had finally arrived. Everyone knew the plan, and several of the Blue Lion students were already in place, keeping an eye out for anything or anyone suspicious. Dedue, Dimitri, and Ingrid all hung back to await any last minute orders from their Professors. The only thing Byleth was concerned about was the Death Knight. There was no way for them to know if the only reason he had held back last time was because he was up against Edelgard’s class. If he did decide to go all out against the Blue Lions, that would be a major issue.

“The Goddess’ Rite of Rebirth is about to begin,” Seteth said, surprising the students. Flayn giggled at their jumpy behavior, but Bilet and Byleth knew to expect them. “You seem a mite too relaxed for my liking. We are relying on you to secure the locations that are lacking in defense.”

Flayn leaned in closer to Bilet, slightly covering her mouth with her hand to whisper to him. “May I let you in on something, Professor? My brother can be a bit callous.”

“You don’t say?” Bilet whispered back, playing along with their not-so-secret conversation. Seteth eyed his sister, obviously hearing every word she said.

“He told me that he was concerned about you, and hinted that perhaps you would be better off patrolling a coffin!” she giggled.

“That was said in jest, Flayn. And in confidence,” Seteth scowled. “Please, just remain by my side and do not cause any more trouble.”

“Have fun during the Rite of Rebirth,” Byleth said. Seteth stared at her, making Byleth question immediately her word choice. “Is that… not how I am supposed to phrase this event?”

“As a professor, you would do well to remember that it is your duty to guide your students down the path of righteousness,” Seteth said, his tone stern.

“Please excuse us, everyone,” Flayn jumped in. “We shall see you again after the ceremony has concluded!”

The pair left, leaving the Blue Lions to their own devices. Byleth turned to her brother and frowned. “He never answered my question.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Bilet chuckled. 

“Professors, it’s time,” Dedue notified them.

“All right,” Bilet said, glancing between the three students currently present. “We’re sticking with our original plan. Go join the others in hiding near the Holy Mausoleum entrance. Professor Byleth and I will be keeping watch too from just inside, in case the enemy found another way in.”

“Worry not, Professors! If anyone suspicious enters, we’ll follow them in and take them down,” Dimitri declared.

“Professors!”

The five of them all turned to see Annette running over, a frightened look in her eyes. “A group of people just entered the Holy Mausoleum! A few of them were wearing armor and carrying concealed weapons!”

‘It is as we suspected,” Dimitri muttered.

“Come on, let’s go catch up to them!” Byleth said. The six of them ran back to find the hidden Blue Lions all prepared for battle, weapons drawn and ready.

“We made sure to wait for you, just like you said, Professors,” Ashe said at the sight of them.

Byleth eyed Sylvain’s grip in the back of Felix’s shirt. The red head just grinned. “Just making sure Felix here didn’t charge ahead.”

“I am not a bumbling oaf incapable of following orders! Unhand me!” Felix snapped.

“Everyone focus,” Bilet said. “Byleth and I will take the front center. Dimitri, Dedue, and Ingrid, you three will take the front left. Sylvain, Felix, and Annette, you three will take the front right. Ashe and Mercedes, you two will hang back and offer support where needed. Make your best judgement in the moment to support your fellow classmates, and everyone, watch each other's backs. Understood?”

There was a collective “Yessir” from every student. Bilet glanced at Byleth. There was an eager look in her eyes as her hand tightened around the hilt of the sword currently at her side.

“Don’t rush ahead,” he whispered to her as they made their way inside.

“Trust me, I’m not messing this mission up,” Byleth swore.

At the far back of the room, there was a mysterious mage messing with the casket. There were several mages and Western Church soldiers amongst the room, with the Death Knight sitting atop his steed in the dead center of the room.

“What are they doing to the casket of Saint Seiros?” Dimitri asked, sounding mildly horrified. “Do they intend to steal her bones?”

“If that’s the case, we must defeat them before they can open the casket,” Ingrid said.

“Be cautious in your approach,” Bilet warned. “Determine the best possible angle to go at them before taking anyone on.”

“And avoid the knight in black armor,” Byleth said, her eyes glued on the Death Knight. Without the Sword of the Creator in her hands, she’d have a very difficult time taking him down. There was a reason she refused to spar with Jeritza the other day. The last thing she wanted was for him to have any sort of advantage fighting her.

“Death Knight!” the mage from the back called out. “Prove your strength and scatter these fools!”

“I don’t take commands. Or waste my time on weaklings,” the Death Knight said. The echo in his haunting voice still sent chills down Byleth’s spine, even after fighting on the same side as him.

Ingrid, Dedue, and Dimitri charged an archer and a swordsman on the left, with Ingrid leading the attack. The enemy archer stepped in front of the swordsman and fired an arrow directly at Ingrid. Reacting quickly, Dedue tackled her to the ground, out of the way of the oncoming arrow, while Dimitri went around them and killed the archer in one fell swoop. Ashe shot an arrow at the swordsman, distracting him from Dimitri’s advancement, resulting in two deaths at the prince’s hands right away.

The right side of their group engaged with a few mages while Dedue helped Ingrid to her feet. 

“Are you injured?” Dedue asked, showing genuine concern for his classmate.

“No,” Ingrid said, ripping her hand out of his the second she was on her feet.

“Good,” Dedue nodded, turning back to the fight.

“I’d have cut my way through alone without your assistance,” Ingrid argued.

“Drop it!” Bilet snapped, cutting down a mage from the Western Church. “Whatever the issue is, table it until this is over!”

Byleth dodged an arrow headed her way before spinning on her heel, raising her blade above her head, and bringing it down full force onto the archer. She heard Dimitri grunt in pain as a dark spell made contact with his arm. Ingrid ran in front of him, stabbing her lance through the mage’s throat before he could attack again.

“Mercedes!” Ingrid called out.

Their healer ran up, quickly trying to reverse any damage that had been done to Dimitri’s arm. While she assisted the left side, Ashe moved over to help cover on the right. He was prepared to shoot down a swordsman Felix had been dueling with, but the faint glow of Felix’s crest arose as he used his extra strength to fell the enemy soldier.

Bilet ran up to cover his sister as she got closer to the Death Knight. He noticed that their students weren’t hesitating as much, or holding back like they did in their last battle, most likely due to the fact that they were fighting actual soldiers this time instead of civilians. That, and they were also playing the role of defenders of Garreg Mach inside the monastery walls. The morality of the fight appeared more clear cut to them.

A mage fired off a spell towards Felix, but Sylvain managed to pull his friend out of the way while Annette stepped up and blocked it with a basic shielding spell before firing back with her own wind magic. Her spell managed to do some damage, but a healer from the Western Church used a long distance healing spell to recover his fellow mage.

“You need to teach Mercedes how to do that after this battle,” Byleth told Bilet.

“Remind me later!” Bilet said, going after another swordsman. “Go stop their healer!”

Everything was moving so fast. Byleth could clearly see the mage messing with the casket several yards and soldiers ahead of her. Despite the mask he wore, Byleth could tell he was sweating in his boots.

“The reinforcements haven’t arrived?” the mage asked, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke to no one in particular.

Ashe shot the mage that had been healed, giving Sylvain an opening to run in and finish him off. Byleth could see the enemy healer raise his hand in an attempt to help his fellow mage once again, but Byleth got to him before he could finish his spell. It was clear to her that he knew nothing about fighting or offensive magic when all he did to defend himself was raise his arms up to cover his face. Previous orders she had received during the war echoed in her mind, telling her to kill the enemy healers as quickly as possible. She forced herself to ignore them, and instead brought the hilt of her sword down onto the healer’s head, effectively knocking him out for the time being. She was done slaying defenseless opponents.

The sound of more people running into the Holy Mausoleum caught Byleth’s attention. She turned around and cursed as three new mages from the Western Church entered the room.

“Annette! Ashe!” she shouted, projecting her voice out over the fighting. “Focus your attention on their reinforcements!”

The duo turned around and immediately went in to charge the new enemies. Sylvain and Felix kept tag teaming the soldiers on the right side, trading off who covered and who attacked seamlessly. Mercedes stepped back, having finished healing Dimitri’s arm. The recovered prince grabbed his lance once again and pushed to take the lead on the left side while Dedue and Ingrid served as backup.

Bilet and Byleth eyed the Death Knight carefully as they moved to go around him, still making sure to keep their distance. Despite the mask and the armor covering him completely, Byleth noticed the slouch in his shoulders and the loose grip he kept on his scythe. He was bored, and since she didn’t have the Sword of the Creator yet, he had no reason to care about her, or think either one of the former mercenaries were going up against. They would make it past, even without Edelgard there to silently hold him back.

“Do you know who he is?” Bilet whispered as they ran past the Death Knight.

“I do,” Byleth nodded.

“Who is he?” Bilet asked.

Byleth smiled, glancing at her brother before letting loose a quick fire spell towards an enemy soldier that began charging them. “Trade ya a secret for a secret, Let.”

“Oh come on, that’s not fair,” he groaned.

“Oh, I think it’s plenty fair, but if you’re not willing to part with any of your precious secrets just yet, I guess you’ll just have to wait,” she teased.

Maybe it was wrong of her to be having fun in the middle of a battle, but Byleth didn’t care. She had been waiting for this day ever since they had gone back in time. Having allies at her side that she could trust to not stab her in the back was refreshing, and soon enough, she’d have her beloved weapon of choice in her grasp once again.

Byleth paused just a few steps away from the casket, her grip on her steel sword tightening as she stared down the mysterious mage. Bilet hung back a little ways, making sure none of the Western Church soldiers could sneak up on his sister.

“You’re too late!” the mage snapped. “The seal will be broken any minute now!”

“Is that so?” Byleth smirked. She moved quickly, going in for the kill right away. Just like last time, the mage managed to dodge out of the way. He laughed at her supposed failure as the lid to the casket fell to the floor with a loud thud that echoed out across the room.

“It’s no use! The seal is broken. You can’t- huh?” He paused, looking down into the casket. “A sword?”

He grabbed it out of the casket, but Byleth moved fast, immediately knocking the blade out of his hands. It slid across the ground as the mage stumbled back, not expecting the sudden attack.

“BY!” Bilet called. He picked up the blade and tossed it towards her.

Byleth grinned widely and tossed her steel sword off to the side, the metal blade clattering against the tile. She caught the Sword of the Creator in her hand, letting her grip relax as she held it. The handle felt as if it had been molded to fit her hand and her hand alone. It felt right being in her grasp yet again.

The mage quickly shot a ball of fire her way. Without any effort, Byleth slashed the fire away. The mage stared at the sword in her hands, his legs visibly shaking under his robes.

“W-what?” he gasped.

The Sword of the Creator was glowing red, just as Catherine’s Thunderbrand did during their last battle. Byleth allowed herself to glance at the blade, smiling over how quickly it responded to her. The first time she had used it in a fight, she had felt confused as to what was going on. While she still didn’t fully understand why the blade only responded to her, at the moment, she couldn’t find it in herself to care about the why. All she felt was this overwhelming sense of relief that came with having her choice weapon back in her grasp.

The mage sent out another panicked fireball, which Byleth was able to once again easily dispose of. She charged him as he put up a shielding spell, but the Sword of the Creator was able to break through it with no effort. One final slash, and the mage fell, choking on his own blood on the way down.

Byleth tried to calm herself, to hide the giddy smile that kept creeping onto her face. She wasn’t supposed to have any knowledge of the sword. As the glowing light around it died down, Byleth turned to stare out across the Holy Mausoleum. The fighting had stopped, the Western Church soldiers all lowering their weapons in surrender. The Death Knight had moved only enough to turn around and face Byleth. His attention seemed entirely focused on the Sword of the Creator.

“That sword…” he said, trailing off. “I see. What a pleasant surprise.” He quickly teleported away, most likely to keep himself from challenging Byleth right then and there without first reporting back to his beloved Flame Emperor.

“He got away,” Dimitri frowned.

More soldiers ran into the Holy Mausoleum, only instead of them being more enemy reinforcements, it was Catherine and a few Central Church soldiers.

“Is the enemy here?” she asked, Thunderbrand raised and at the ready. When she stopped the remaining Western Church soldiers all with their hands raised in surrender, she relaxed, lowering her blade. “Oh, looks like you have this under control.” She nodded for her men to go round up the prisoners. Her gaze eventually found its way to Byleth. Catherine’s eyes widened in shock as she spotted the blade in the ex-mercenary’s hands.

“That sword… it can’t be…”

Byleth’s hand tightened around the handle of the Heroes’ Relic. She had waited months to get her hands on her sword again. She didn’t care if Rhea changed her mind this time around. No one was taking that sword from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are officially getting into some of my favorite moments in game! Thank you all for reading and I’ll see you next Friday 💙


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